


Thank You For Every Smile (And For Every Memory)

by find_your_light



Series: You're Just Lost but You'll Be Found [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - No Island, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2018-05-30 07:02:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6413674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/find_your_light/pseuds/find_your_light
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a series of oneshots showing everyones lives set after <i>One Day It's Here and Then It's Gone (How Are You Still Holding On)</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. August 2018

**Author's Note:**

> [](http://s1347.photobucket.com/user/Daniella_Kresovic/media/TYFES%20cover_zpsun1uuxxc.jpeg.html)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> be sure to read Part 1 [And I'll Love You All the While (Because You Saved My Life Once)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3880495) and Part 2 [One Day It's Here and Then It's Gone (How Are You Still Holding On)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4518492) before continuing on to this story.

**August 2018**

Flushing the toilet and closing the lid, Felicity stands up from her seat on the floor, grimacing at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair’s falling out of the messy bun she did after her shower and she looks tired, but that was probably due to the fact that she was just puking her guts out a few seconds ago. At least the pregnancy makes her boobs look amazing. And she’s tan. They’d just gotten back from their honeymoon a few nights ago and she misses it so much, finding herself wanting to go back. The sun, the ocean, the peace and quiet; it was just so relaxing. And she needed that considering how horrible she feels now.

Felicity rinses her mouth with some mouthwash before making her way out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to start getting ready. Tonight, they’re heading to the Queen Mansion for dinner with everyone since they hadn’t seen the newlyweds in just about two weeks. She opens the door to the walk-in closet, eyes roaming over her dresses, trying to decide which one to wear. Picking one of her favorites, she takes the light blue dress off the hanger and steps into it, pulling it up around her hips. She reaches her arms behind her back, trying to pull up the zipper. After a few moments of struggling, she zips it up and turns to inspect her reflection in the floor-length mirror on the closet door. She hears the front door of the loft open and the jingling of keys, followed by footsteps that are getting louder. Oliver’s reflection appears in the mirror as he walks into the room, draping his suit jacket across the bed and loosening his tie.

“Hey,” he greets with a smile before moving to stand behind her, placing a kiss to her cheek over her shoulder.

Felicity barely acknowledges him, her eyes squinting as they roam up and down her body. “Can you totally tell that I’m pregnant in this dress?”

Huffing a laugh, Oliver looks her up and down as she turns to see herself from the side. “No, you look like you always do. Which is beautiful, by the way.”

She blinks and runs her hands over her still fairly flat stomach, smoothing invisible wrinkles as his compliment goes completely unnoticed. Suddenly, her shoulders sag and she lets out a huff, “This dress makes me look like a whale.” Oliver tries not to laugh as she stomps back into the closet, reaching back and unzipping her dress on the way, letting it pool around her ankles leaving her in just her underwear. She shifts around some of her dresses before groaning, “God, why are all my dresses so tight?! Do I own nothing that is loose fitting?!”

“Nope,” he answers as he starts unbuttoning his dress shirt, “That’s probably why I’m such a big fan of your wardrobe.”

Felicity turns her head and glares at him, his stupid, sexy grin irritating her. “You’re not helping. This is your fault.”

Throwing his head back in laughter, he steps towards her, “My fault? I didn’t buy your clothes.”

“No, but you did get me pregnant, which has made me fat and unable to wear my favorite clothes.”

Oliver bands his arms around her waist, pulling her to stand in front of him. She stares up at him with a pout and he leans down, giving her a quick peck on the lips. “First of all, you’re not fat; you’re not even twelve weeks yet. Second of all, if you were fat, I would still love you. And third of all,” he smirks, “I am definitely not sorry that I got you pregnant.”

She can’t stop the smile making its way on her face or the laugh that follows as she smacks a hand against his naked chest. Their laughter dies down and Felicity peers up at him under long lashes, “I miss Bali. I wish we could go back.”

“We will someday,” he promises. He lifts his eyes to survey their surroundings before reaching around behind her and pulling a dress off the rod. “How about this one?”

Felicity grins and takes it from his hand, “This could work.”

 

* * *

 

Opening the door without knocking, Oliver steps inside the house he grew up in, smiling at the familiar feeling of safety this place has always given him. Felicity follows him in, her hand firmly clasped in his. Thea must hear the door because she comes running into the foyer, a wide grin on her face as she throws her arms around her sister-in-law. “Lissy! You’re back!” she yells, voice full of excitement.

Laughing, Felicity pulls back from the extremely tight hug, “That we are. I take it you missed me?”

“Of course I did, sis,” Thea agrees, her smile growing around the last word that she can finally use to describe her friend.

“Well, I missed you too.”

“Thanks Speedy, love you too,” Oliver grumbles from where he stands, observing the exchange.

Thea giggles, tilting her head at her brother before tugging him into a hug, “Don’t worry Ollie, I missed you almost as much as Lissy.” He huffs a laugh, placing a kiss to the top of her head and letting her pull away. The younger Queen looks between them and grabs ahold of Felicity’s free hand, starting to drag them into the dining room she emerged from earlier. “C’mon, dinner is ready and everyone is waiting.”

Felicity cranes her neck to look back at Oliver, her eyes wide. On the drive over, she admitted how nervous she was to see everyone. They decided that they weren’t going to tell anybody until after twelve weeks, even though they’d been to the doctor to have it confirmed and the doctor had said everything looked healthy and normal, and she is horrible at keeping secrets. It isn’t that she’s a bad liar -- she’s actually quite good -- it’s just that she hates looking people in the eye, especially people she cares about, and lying to their face. Oliver, on the other hand, is a terrible liar no matter what. He makes up the stupidest excuses that no one would ever believe.

Rounding the corner, the impeccably set dinner table comes into view, as well as their friends and family. Oliver squeezes Felicity’s hand in reassurance that she could lie for one night and she squeezes back, plastering a smile on her face -- that part isn’t a lie, she genuinely missed everyone here tonight.

Moira stands from her seat at the head of the table, moving directly towards Oliver to give him a hug and a kiss to his cheek. Pushing his chair back, Tommy makes his way towards his two best friends, Laurel deciding to just wave in hello instead of trying to get up out of her chair with her growing middle. Once everyone says hello, they take their seats around the table, waiting for Raisa and some of the other employees to serve dinner.

Moira is the first to speak, addressing the newlyweds, “So, tell us. How was Bali?”

“Amazing,” Felicity answers, glancing at Oliver with a growing smile.

He nods as she takes a sip of water, ignoring the tall glass of wine in front of her. “Yeah, it was beautiful. The water was so clear. We’d definitely love to go back someday.”

“What did we miss here? I know I talked to Thea a couple times, but she was just keeping me up on the latest gossip,” Felicity laughs.

Thea opens her mouth, feigning offense, “Hey! You love gossip!”

“Yeah, you really do,” Laurel shrugs a shoulder at the blonde.

“Alright, fine. I do love gossip, especially when it’s not about me,” she agrees before directing her next question to Tommy, “What’s new with you?”

“Nothing really, just managing the club. Which reminds me, I was wondering if you could stop by and look at our security system. It keeps glitching.”

“Sure, no problem.” Felicity’s eyes roam around the table and she furrows her brows in question, “Where’s Sara and Nyssa?”

Laurel speaks up, “I don’t really know, they said they already had plans they couldn’t cancel.”

She frowns but doesn’t question it further. The door connecting the dining room and the kitchen opens as Oliver and Moira start talking about what he’s missed at Queen Consolidated, the smell of whatever is for dinner wafting into the room when they start bringing out plates. The delicious smell of the unknown meal suddenly morphs into something nauseating and Felicity brings a hand up to her mouth. Oliver notices her pale skin and asks if she’s okay, but she barely hears him, trying to keep the bile from rising up her throat. Felicity quickly scoots her chair backwards and stands, running to where she knows is the nearest bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she barely manages to lift the lid of the toilet before landing on her knees, hands gripping either side of the bowl as she throws up. After a few moments, she stops dry-heaving and shifts so that she can rest against the wall, still keeping her face near the bowl as she takes a few deep breaths.

A knock makes her open her eyes, just in time to see Oliver coming into the bathroom. He shuts the door and makes his way over to her, crouching down and brushing away a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her face. “You okay?” he asks softly, brows drawn together in concern.

She nods her head slowly, a weak smile pulling up the corners of her mouth. “I’m sorry. It’s just, the smell… I don’t know why I reacted so badly to it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he assures. “Do you want to try standing up?” Again, she nods her head and watches him straighten up, placing her hands in his outstretched ones as he pulls her to her feet. Oliver lifts a palm up to her face again, brushing across her cheek as he tucks hair behind her ear. “Feel better?”

“Yeah, I’m with you,” she peers up at him.

He lets out a small laugh, “And you say I’m the sappy one.”

“Shut up,” she joins him in laughter before turning to face the countertop. Reaching out for the mouthwash next to the sink, she opens the bottle and rinses out her mouth, shutting off the faucet when she’s finished. Oliver smiles and grabs her hand to pull her towards the door he’s already opened halfway. “Wait,” she stops him and he looks back at her with a raised brow, silently asking if she feels sick again. “I can’t go out there with that food still there.”

“I know. I already had them take everything back to the kitchen and told them not to open that door again,” he states, a smug grin on his face.

Felicity rolls her eyes, but her smile softens as she leans up on her tiptoes and places a quick peck to his lips. “You’re the best husband ever, you know that?” At the still-smug look on his face, she adds, “Way better than my other two husbands.”

Oliver narrows his eyes at her, watching as she tries to suppress a grin, “Ha ha. You’re real funny today.” Unable to even pretend like he’s mad at her, he gives her nose a quick kiss before leading her back to the dining room where, luckily, the food is indeed gone.

Everyone looks towards them when they walk through the archway, all wearing similar expressions of concern. Moira is the first to speak, “Sweetheart, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Felicity nods, “I don’t know what happened, I just got nauseous. Maybe I’m still super jet lagged or something.”

“But you’ve been back for like, two days already,” Laurel states, narrowed eyes seeming to be analyzing her and Felicity shifts uncomfortably, a hand coming up to run over the material of her dress around her stomach. Suddenly it’s like a light goes off in Laurel’s head and her eyes widen almost comically, a loud gasp coming from her lips. “You’re pregnant!” she blurts out, a finger pointing towards the blonde like she’d just cracked a major case.

Everyone freezes at her words, eyes moving between her and the couple still standing near the doorway. After a few beats of silence, Felicity scoffs, attempting a fake laugh to brush off the suspicion, “What? No, no. I’m not pregnant, nope. I’m not that. C’mon, Laurel. I mean, no. We’ve only been married for like, two weeks. C’mon. No. Nope. Who’s pregnant? Not this girl! Nope, not m--”

“-- I think they get it,” Oliver interrupts dryly, cutting off her horrible ramble.

She exhales a deep breath, tilting her head slightly to the side and leaning up towards his ear. “We can still make a break for it,” she whispers, nodding her head to the easy exit right behind them.

His eyes dart between his wife and the door, weighing his options and seriously considering running. Finally, he breaks, letting out a sigh and turning to everyone, “Fine. Felicity’s pregnant.” A hand smacks hard against his chest and he glares down at her, “Ow!”

“We agreed we weren’t gonna tell anyone yet!” Felicity whisper-yells, but her words are heard anyway.

“That was before you puked your guts out and Laurel used her weird pregnant woman powers Tommy always talks about!

“Guys!” Thea interrupts, making both of them turn their heads towards her. She stares at them for a few seconds before a slow smile starts tugging up the corners of her lips, “Are you really pregnant?”

Exchanging one last look with Oliver, Felicity turns towards Thea with a gentle hand brushing over her stomach and a smile of her own, “Yes, I am. We’re gonna have a baby.”

“I’m gonna be an aunt!” Thea’s eyes light up and she squeals, jumping up and running towards them, yanking Felicity into a bone-crushing hug.

“Alright,” she manages, “Crushing the pregnant chick, here.”

She pulls away abruptly, “Sorry, sorry! I’m just so excited, this is the best news ever!”

“Yes, it is,” Moira agrees with a smile, tugging her son into a warm hug.

“How far along are you?” Thea asks giddily, Tommy and Laurel standing to join the group.

“Just about ten weeks, but the doctor says everything looks good,” the blonde answers after drawing out of her hug with Tommy.

Laurel grins, rubbing a hand over her stomach and placing a hand on the other woman’s forearm, “This is kinda cool. Our kids will only be a few months apart, maybe they’ll be best friends.” A large smile spreads across her face as she nods her head, pulling her friend into a tight hug.

Making his way towards his best friend, Tommy claps a hand on Oliver’s shoulder, “Congrats man. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks, Tommy. That means everything coming from you,” Oliver says, the implication of the darkest days of their friendship hanging in the air.

He sends his friend a knowing smile, accompanied by a nod, before turning towards Felicity who is chatting away with Laurel. “So, are we gonna eat dinner or what?”

Everyone’s heads turn towards Felicity for a response and she shrugs a shoulder, “I could go for some pizza.”

“Yes!” Thea cheers before pulling out her phone, “I’m ordering right now.”

Oliver chuckles at his baby sister’s excitement, gravitating towards Felicity and wrapping an arm around her waist, bringing her close and placing a kiss to the top of her head. “I know this evening didn’t really go as planned, but I’m actually glad that everybody knows.”

She tilts her chin up to look at him with a raised brow and a grin, “Yeah, me too. You’re kind of a horrible liar.” Oliver laughs before leaning down to capture her lips in his, feeling at peace knowing that nothing else matters except for the three of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	2. August 2018

**October 2018**

Felicity closes her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose and letting it out slowly. She doesn’t know why she’s so nervous; they’d had several appointments already where they’d heard the baby’s heartbeat, but today they are supposed to find out the baby’s sex. And Oliver still isn’t here. She reminded him about the appointment this morning as he was leaving to go to work but wasn’t sure that he’d heard her, so she called his assistant, Gretchen, who had said that he was in meetings all day. Felicity knows that he’s been super stressed out lately with work, but she was hoping that he would leave early for this appointment. She pulls out her phone, checking the time and if she had missed a call or text from him, but there is nothing, and he’s fifteen minutes late.

A knock on the door grabs her attention and she reaches up, wiping away the few tears she didn’t even realize had fallen and clearing her throat. “Come in.”

Her doctor, a tall woman with jet black hair, enters the room holding a clipboard, a smile on her face. She sets down the clipboard and begins to wash her hands, “Hello, Felicity, you look wonderful. How have you been feeling lately?”

She lets out a small laugh at the compliment, “Thank you, Doctor Davis. I’m happy to report that I feel a bit better than the last time I was here. The throwing up and nausea have eased up a little bit in the past couple of weeks,” Felicity explains, glancing between her phone and where the doctor stands with her back still towards her.

Doctor Davis nods her head, jotting down a few notes before turning to her, “Glad to hear it. And how has your energy level been? Are you still often fatigued?”

“Um,” Felicity mutters, distracted by glancing at her phone yet again. She lifts her head, “I’m sorry, what was the question?”

“Do you still find yourself fatigued?”

“No, not as much. I can usually get through the work day without having to take a break.” She bites her lip, checking her phone again.

“I’m sorry, Felicity, but is everything alright? You keep checking your phone,” Doctor Davis raises a brow in question, nodding slightly to the phone still in her hand.

A light blush colors her cheek, “I’m really sorry. It’s just, Oliver was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago, and he hasn’t called or texted me saying he was running late. He’s probably in a meeting or just lost track of time.” She stares down at her lap, bringing a hand to swipe away a tear and moving to put her phone in her purse.

Doctor Davis places a hand on her forearm, offering a reassuring smile. “Would you like to wait a while longer or shall I get the ultrasound machine?”

“No, no, it’s fine. You can get the machine, it’s okay.” She offers a smile as Doctor Davis nods and leaves the room to get the ultrasound machine. Once the door closes, Felicity allows the tears she’s been holding in to trail down her cheeks. She lifts a hand to her stomach, pushing down on the area that the baby has been kicking lately in an attempt to sooth it. She hates calling the baby ‘it’, which is why this appointment is so important to begin with. And she can’t believe that he isn’t even here. Another knock sounds signaling the return of Doctor Davis, and Felicity wipes at her cheeks again, looking down at her lap where her fingers absently toy with her wedding rings.

The door opens, “Am I too late?”

Her head shoots up at the unexpected, slightly breathless voice, “Oliver?”

He smiles at her, “Hey.” Oliver’s grin immediately drops when Felicity starts crying, her hands covering her face, and he moves quickly to pull her against his chest. “Hey, hey. What’s wrong?”

“I just,” Felicity shifts so she can see his face, sniffling a couple times, “I didn’t think you were coming.”

“What?” he furrows his brows at her, wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. “Felicity, I would never miss this.”

“But you were running late and you’ve been so busy lately and you didn't answer your phone,” she babbles, constricting her breathing even more than the crying had.

Oliver places a hand on her shoulder and uses the other one to cradle her cheek, “Fel-i-ci-ty. Take a deep breath.” When she complies, mimicking his own breathing, he speaks again, “I was in a meeting trying to close a deal and they kept stalling and… Anyway, I rushed here as fast as I could, I must’ve left my phone at the office. I’m so sorry I was late, babe, please don’t cry.”

“No, I’m,” she sniffles and offers him a watery smile, “These are happy tears. I’m just glad you’re here now.”

Smiling down at her, he cradles both sides of her face with his hands, leaning down and capturing her lips in a soft kiss. He pulls away when there’s a knock to the door, moving to stand at her side while Doctor Davis pushes a cart with a machine on top into the room. When she looks up, she sends him a wide smile, “Oh! Mr. Queen, you made it.”

“Yeah,” he breathes out, grabbing Felicity’s hand and threading their fingers together. “I wouldn’t miss this.”

The older woman smiles, “Well then, let’s get started. Just lay back and lift your shirt, please.” Felicity complies, watching as she raises the doppler with one hand and gel with the other. “This might be a little cold, you know the drill,” she warns, squirting a hefty amount of gel onto her exposed stomach. Felicity shivers at the feeling, tightening her grip on Oliver’s hand.

They both watch the doppler moving around on her stomach, the screen showing what was clearly their baby, a fast thumping sound filling the room. This isn’t the first time that either of them had heard their baby’s heartbeat, but it still amazes them every single time. Oliver rubs his thumb over the outside of Felicity’s hand, gazing down and meeting her watery eyes. The only sound in the room is the heartbeat, neither of them needing to say anything to communicate the pure happiness they’re both feeling.

“Would you like to know the sex?” Doctor Davis’ voice pulls them from their moment, two sets of eyes turning her way.

He squeezes her hand in encouragement and she nods her head, “Yes please.”

“Alright. And it looks like you’re having,” she moves the stick around a little bit more before clicking her mouse, freezing the screen. She faces them with a smile, “A boy.”

Both remain silent, processing the information completely. Felicity lets out a breathless laugh, smiling at Oliver with eyes even more watery than before, “We’re having a boy.”

“We’re having a boy,” he repeats disbelievingly, grinning at his wife just as wide. He leans forward, grabbing her face with both hands and kissing her deeply. She winds her arms around his neck, fingers threading through his hair as she kisses him back before remembering they aren’t alone. She pulls away slightly, resting their foreheads against each other. “We’re having a boy,” Oliver repeats again, his voice barely a whisper. She bites her lip to keep back her tears and nestles her head against his chest. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Oliver lets out a soft laugh, pecking her lips once more before putting a little bit of space between them. He grins down at her with the happiest smile she’s ever seen on him, “I'm so glad I didn’t miss this.”

Felicity gazes up at him, “Yeah, me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	3. July 2019

**July 2019**

Oliver exhales and drags a hand down his face, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. This meeting with all of QC’s department heads has already lasted almost two hours with no end in sight, likely going well into the night and delaying his return home. Ever since Robbie’s birth, all he wants is to be home with him and Felicity. She gets to be home all day, every day with their son while he’s at work -- not that she isn’t doing work, of course. Being a mother is the most important job and Felicity is so naturally amazing at it. He loves being a father and seeing her be a mother; it’s all he’s ever dreamed of having with her. Lately, though, he feels guilty because of how much time he’s spent at Queen Consolidated, especially given the slight cold Robbie’s come down with over the past couple days.

Bringing himself back to the meeting, he tries to focus on the head of Applied Sciences explaining some of their ongoing projects when a light knock against the glass door to the conference room interrupts. Oliver tilts his chin towards Jamie, his current temp assistant while Gretchen is on a well-deserved vacation.

“Uh, Mister Queen,” Jamie clears his throat, shifting uncomfortably at having interrupted the meeting, “I’m sorry to interrupt but your wife is on line one.”

His brows draw together, slightly confused because Felicity knows he is in a meeting right now -- she’s probably just wondering when he’ll be home. “Please tell her I’ll call her back.”

Jamie nods and heads back to his desk, Oliver cutting his eyes to the head of Applied Sciences to continue with his report. It’s only a few seconds later when there is another knock and he sighs. Nervously, Jamie nods to the phone on the conference table, “I’m sorry Mister Queen, but she says it’s urgent.”

“Line one?” Oliver asks and at his assistant’s nod, he addresses the department heads, “Excuse me for a minute.” Picking up the phone and completing the call’s transfer, he spins in his chair so his back is to the rest of the room before lifting the phone to his ear. “Felicity? I’m in a meeting right now, can I call you ba --“

_“-- Oliver, I have been calling your cell phone over and over and your stupid temp wouldn’t put me through to you and – no, he’s not stupid, he’s just doing his job. But I have still been calling and calling and you haven’t --“_

“-- Felicity,” he interrupts her babbling with brows furrowed in concern, “What’s going on?”

She takes a deep breath over the phone to collect herself, obvious tears in her voice, and he notices a faint crying in the silence, _“I’m in the ER at Starling General with Robbie! He was coughing all day and I still just thought he had a cold but then it got worse and when I took his temperature, he had a fever of 101. And then – and then he started coughing so hard that he – he couldn’t breathe!”_

“Okay, okay. Felicity, where are you exactly?” he sits up straighter, immediately filling with worry for his son, who is obviously the source of the screaming in the background.

_“The ER, but they’re moving us up to pediatrics soon to try and figure out what’s wrong with him. He is still coughing and – and… Oliver, please come here right now!”_

“Felicity, just take a deep breath. I’m leaving now, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can, I promise,” he assures, returning her ‘I love you’ before hanging up. Setting the phone back down, Oliver stands to explain to his employees, “I’m sorry but my wife, she had to take our son to the ER. I have to go.”

“Of course, Mister Queen,” one woman says, “Go be with your family.”

Without even grabbing all his stuff, Oliver made his way out of the building as fast as humanly possible to his car, then probably breaking dozens of traffic laws in his haste to get to Starling General. He walks in through the ER and asks the first nurse he finds where pediatrics is, the young woman directing him to the fourth floor. The short elevator ride seems to take years, the stupid, upbeat music doing nothing to calm the worry bubbling up in his stomach. When it stops, he steps out and begins looking into every room with open curtains, about to ask a nurse for help before his eyes land on an all-too-familiar messy, blonde ponytail. “Felicity!” he calls out, taking long strides to close the distance between them.

Hearing his voice, Felicity spins on her heals, her face relaxing at the relief of seeing him. Tears continue to trail down her cheeks as she closes the remaining few feet separating them, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. “Oliver,” she exhales against his shoulder.

They stay wrapped in each other for a few seconds before the need to know about his son’s condition overwhelms him and Oliver pulls away just enough to see her face. He lifts his palms to her cheeks, swiping away tears with his thumbs under her glasses. “Is Robbie okay? Where is he?”

She peers over her shoulder and he finally hears whining, which he immediately recognizes, coming from the room just behind them. He can’t see the little boy because of the doctor and nurses, but he knows that he’s there. “He’s -- I don’t know. I don’t know what happened. One minute it was just a cold and the next, he couldn’t breathe. This is all my fault! I should’ve taken him to the doctor sooner, I should’ve --“

“-- Hey, this isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known something like this would happen. Babies get sick, we _both_ thought it was just a cold,” he tries to reassure, but he can see the guilt swimming in her eyes.

Felicity shakes her head, “No. I’m his mother, I should’ve known. God, Oliver… It was so horrible… He started coughing so hard that he couldn’t breathe, and his – his face started to turn blue. I didn’t know what to do and when we got here, they took him to a room and started attaching all these monitors to him and – and an oxygen mask. He’s crying; he must be so scared and they won’t even let me be with him!”

“Okay, shh. C’mere.” Oliver pulls her against his chest, one hand rubbing up and down her back and the other cradling the back of her head. Eventually, he leads her over to a small sitting area and they wait there for what feels like hours until someone comes to update them. Her head against his shoulder, Felicity’s eyes are just starting to fall shut when the sliding door to Robbie’s room opens and closes, an older man in a white lab coat approaching them.

“Mister Queen, I presume?” Doctor Phillips, according to the name on his coat, asks.

Oliver clears his throat and they both stand, taking a few steps closer, “Yeah, Oliver Queen.”

Skipping the formalities, Felicity cuts right to the chase, “Is Robbie okay? What’s wrong with him?”

Doctor Phillips adjusts his glasses, “Right now, we’ve sedated him to stop the coughing and started running some antibiotics and other medications through an IV. He seems to have a bacterial infection known as Pertussis, or Whooping Cough.”

“What? How? He’s already started getting his vaccinations for that,” Felicity interjects.

He nods, “Yes however, Pertussis requires a series of vaccinations over the course of a child’s first two years of life. The immune system gets stranger with each injection but until all of them are complete, it is still possible to contract the infection. You were right to bring him in when you did. In small children, the coughing fits can cause a lack of oxygen which can lead to many different issues, like brain damage or even death.”

Oliver’s hand tightens where it is wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to his side as she gasps out, “What?”

“There is no need to worry,” Doctor Phillips is quick to add at the looks of horror on both their faces. “We did a few neurological tests and a blood test, and everything seems to be normal. No permanent damage. We would like to keep him admitted tomorrow night as well, just to get a good amount of antibiotics into his system and give his body time to rest before going home. If you have any questions, just ask a nurse. He should sleep for a while, so you may go in and see him now.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Oliver extends a hand, shaking the older man’s before watching him walk away and leading Felicity to the hospital room. After sliding the door closed behind them, Oliver turns and all the air rushes out of his lungs at the sight. Covered in blankets, Robbie looks so small sleeping in the bed, an IV attached to his hand and oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. His face is relaxed and if it weren’t for the steady beating of the heart monitor, Oliver might just break down.

He watches as Felicity rushes over, toeing off her shoes and crawling into bed behind her son. She immediately wraps her arms around him, closing her eyes and placing her lips to the tops of his head, giving him a kiss and breathing in his scent. Oliver does the same with his shoes, shedding his jacket, vest and tie, too, before rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. He gently slides in on Robbie’s other side, facing Felicity and reaching across the little boy to rest his hand around her waist and bring her closer. They lay there in silence, not needing to say anything, just needing to be together. Oliver sighs and closes his eyes, drifting into unconsciousness, exactly where he needs to be: with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	4. November 2019

**November 2019**

Felicity opens the front door, bouncing Robbie on her hip as he slobbers on the mickey mouse teething ring in his chubby hands. She looks around the foyer, finally spotting the woman she is looking for. “Raisa!” she calls out causing the woman to turn from the chest she was dusting and walk towards her.

“Miss Felicity, I didn’t know you would be joining Mrs. Queen for lunch today.”

Felicity groans internally at the mention of her mother-in-law, barely concealed rage bubbling up inside her. “I’m not, I just need to speak to her about something. I was wondering if you could watch Robbie? It won’t be long, just a few minutes.”

The older woman smiles, her face lighting up as she reaches out for the little boy, “Of course. He’s a good boy, just like his father was.”

She snorts a laugh at that, “Oh Raisa, always the optimist.”

Raisa chuckles, turning to head into the living room before she calls out behind her, “Mrs. Queen is in the study.”

Making her way towards Robert’s old study, Felicity tries to calm herself down so she doesn’t just start screaming. A few weeks ago, someone in accounting at Queen Consolidated discovered a discrepancy in some of the financing for their subsidiaries, bringing it to Oliver’s attention, who then brought it to her, asking if she could trace things electronically. She told him that she would look into it and she did; she just doesn’t like what she found. It has been eating her up inside, lying to her husband, but she needs to talk to Moira first.

Knocking on the door to the study, Felicity hears a faint ‘come in’ and opens it, stepping into the room and shutting it softly behind her. Moira looks up from where she sits at her husband’s old desk, a warm smile forming on her face, “Felicity, what a surprise. Did you bring Robbie?”

“Yes, but that’s not why I’m here,” she takes a step towards her. “I need to talk to you about something.”

She stands and makes her way around the desk so she is in front of the woman who is like a daughter to her, “Of course. What about?”

Felicity takes a deep breath to calm her sudden nerves, “There was a discrepancy in accounting that Oliver asked me to look into. When Robert was still here, the company authorized $500,000 as start-up costs to a new subsidiary called Tempest. The company didn’t end up working out. But the weird part is that when someone was going through all the records to store in the new digital database I created, they discovered that only $300,000 was actually used to start Tempest.”

Moira tilts her chin, appearing unaffected by her findings, “I’m sure it was just a clerical mistake.”

“No,” the blonde shakes her head, “You see, that’s what I thought. So, I used the serial numbers of the money to trace the missing $200,000. And I traced it to an offshore phantom account.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” Moira laughs it off.

She narrows her eyes at the older woman, “I hacked the account and it turns out that it belongs to a Doctor Neil Lamb. Your OB/GYN.” Felicity can see the worry in Moira’s eyes, the worry that her lies have been uncovered. Her anger starts rising as she breathes in to stay calm, “And the company? Tempest? You authorized the investment, stating it was for a friend.”

“Felicity,” she starts with a shake of her head.

“I’m not finished,” Felicity growls. “You took the extra $200,000 and paid off your doctor to keep quiet. Because Thea was born at full-term, even though you told everyone she was premature. Because nine months before her birth, Robert was out of town for a three-week long business trip in China.”

“Felicity,” she tries again.

“You lied, and you’ve been lying to Thea her entire life. Because Robert Queen was not her biological father,” she states without question. “Malcolm Merlyn is.”

Moira shakes her head, reaching out a hand to place on the younger woman’s forearm, “Felicity, you have this all wrong. Robert is her fa--”

“-- Don’t lie to me!” Felicity snaps, yanking her arm out of Moira’s grasp. “I know the truth, Moira. And you’re crazy as hell if you think I’m not going to tell Oliver and Thea about this.”

“Felicity, you can’t do that. Thea would be crushed, just let her keep the memories she still has of him. Malcolm is not a good man; you know how horrible he’s been to Tommy his entire life!” Moira tries to reason.

She turns her head back towards her at the realization. “Tommy. Tommy is her brother just as much as Oliver is and she doesn’t even know! Don’t you see how wrong that is? He’s her family!”

“And so was Robert! If you tell Thea, Oliver will never forgive you,” Moira threatens.

“Wow,” Felicity shakes her head in disbelief, taking a step back away from the woman who she looked to as a mother, “You really are somethin’ else. Threatening your own daughter-in-law? I know Oliver, probably better than you do, and I know that he would never want this kind of secret to be kept -- not from Thea. Not from _anyone.”_ She spins on her heels, stalking towards the door and yanking it open. Before she leaves the room, she peers back over her shoulder, “Tell Thea the truth,  _today._ Or I will.”

Felicity slams the door shut behind her, leaning her back against the wall and taking a few deep breaths. Once she’s calmed herself down enough, she heads towards the living room, hearing the giggles of her eight-month-old baby as she gets closer. Rounding the corner, the sight of Robbie sitting on the floor, hand waving around his teething ring and a huge smile on his face, immediately pulls up the corners of her mouth in a matching smile. His eyes light up even further when he sees her and he reaches his chubby arms out towards her, “Mama! Mama!”

Her heart melts as it always does when he calls her that and she bends down, lifting him up and into her arms. “Hi baby,” she greets, plastering kisses all over his face making him giggle loudly. “Were you a good boy for Raisa?” she asks him, the question really being for the Russian woman sitting on the couch.

“Of course he was, Mister Robbie is a perfect baby,” Raisa praises, her voice full of love as she says his name in the same way she says Oliver’s. Felicity mouths a thank you to the woman before turning, heading towards the front door while bouncing Robbie on her hip. His head rests on her shoulder and he chews away on his ring as she makes her way to the car. Felicity settles Robbie into his car seat, lifting a hand to brush across his soft, dirty blonde hair that most definitely comes from his father. Looking at his chubby cheeks and shining blue eyes, she can’t even imagine a world in which she would lie to her child about their parentage, or about anything at all.  He would deserve to know, just like Thea deserves to know she has another brother. Secrets and poor communication is what ruined her and Oliver’s relationship the first time, she wouldn’t risk that happening with him or their baby boy.  She leans forward, placing a kiss to Robbie’s forehead before shutting the door and getting into her own seat, pulling out of the driveway and away from the mansion.

 

* * *

 

Oliver climbs out of his car, locking it and pressing the button that closes the garage door as he heads into the house. Walking into the kitchen, he places his briefcase and keys on the granite countertop, taking off his suit jacket and laying it down. He hears laughter coming from the living room and moves towards the sound, loosening his tie and rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. Oliver leans against the doorframe with one ankle crossed over the other and his arms folded across his chest, a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth at the sight before him. Robbie lays on his back, wildly moving his arms and legs, giggling uncontrollably and it’s the greatest thing he’s ever heard. The cause of his happiness is sitting on her knees, leaning above him, her blonde curls draping around her face so that the ends tickle Robbie’s cheeks. Her delicate fingers move all over his stomach, tickling his round belly.

He watches as his wife smiles down at their son before she speaks, “Who’s the cutest boy in the world? Huh? You are, yes you are.” She tickles him again, another fit of giggles bursting out of him as his fingers try to wrap around the ends of her hair.

“Ouch,” Oliver says, barely suppressing a grin as she lifts her chin.

Felicity raises a brow at him, sitting up straighter while keeping her fingers scratching Robbie’s stomach, “How long have you standing there? Little creepy, don’t you think?”

He shakes his head with a small laugh, “You say the sweetest things to me, Felicity Smoak.”

She rolls her eyes, rising to her feet and bending down to lift her baby into her arms before moving towards Oliver. She places a kiss to his lips, “How was your day?”

His mouth opens as he’s about to answer when Robbie shuffles between them, stretching his arms out towards him. “Dada!” he squeals in excitement, much like he did earlier when Felicity finally came back to get him.

“It just got a whole lot better,” Oliver responds with a soft smile as he takes his son into his arms, placing a kiss to his cheek, his stubble making Robbie giggle again. “How was yours?”

Felicity sucks in a sharp breath, eyes casting downwards as she grabs one a Robbie’s hands and moves it back and forth softly. “Honestly, it could’ve been better.”

Furrowing his brows in concern, he brushes a hand across her cheek, forcing her to meet his eyes. “What happened?”

She sighs, “It’s kind of a long story.” Her eyes focus a little lower, taking in Robbie’s closed eyes and even breathing, his head lying on Oliver’s shoulder. “He looks tired. I’ll put him to bed and then we can talk.”

“I got it,” he reassures, placing a kiss to her cheek before he heads to the stairs, climbing up and turning towards the nursery.

Once he reaches the top of the stairs, Felicity exhales a deep breath, closing her eyes and pulling her hair up out of her face and into a messy bun. Waiting for Oliver to return and knowing how fussy Robbie can get, she busies herself with picking up the toys scattered all over the floor of the living room. She just closes the lid to the chest against the wall when she hears footsteps, peering back over her shoulder to find Oliver heading towards her in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Felicity turns to face him fully, “He go down okay?”

“Yeah,” Oliver nods, “He was exhausted.”

She reaches out and grabs one of his hands, pulling him along as she walks backwards to the large sectional couch. “Probably my fault. We went shopping after we left the mansion and I tried on _way_ too many outfits.”

He furrows his brows, “The mansion?”

Still nervous about the impending conversation, she pretends like he didn’t say anything, “Also, I’m really sorry about your next credit card bill cause I kinda went a little crazy on the shoes.”

“Felicity,” he stops her. He places a hand on her leg just above her knee, “Why were you at the mansion?”

Avoiding direct eye contact, she casts them down towards her lap, staring at where his thumb is rubbing circles on the smooth skin of her thigh. Nervously biting her bottom lip, she chews on it for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and meeting his eyes. “You know how you asked me to trace the money used to start that subsidiary called Tempest?” He doesn’t say anything, just nods his head. “Well, I found it.”

“Okay. Isn’t that a good thing?”

She sucks in another breath, closing her eyes in preparation of possibly destroying his entire world. “Oliver, I was at the mansion to talk to your mother. She’s the one who authorized the investment, and she’s the one who transferred the missing $200,000.”

Oliver still looks at her in confusion, “And she admitted to this?”

“Not in so many words, but when I confronted her… I just knew.” Oliver turns to look straight ahead, nodding his head slowly in understanding. He glances back at her when she speaks, “That’s not all that I found, Oliver.”

“Just tell me,” he requests, his voice a few octaves deeper and a cloudiness in his eyes that wasn’t there a few minutes ago, almost as if a part of him knows what she is going to say.

“Moira used the money to pay someone off. A doctor,” she pauses, trying to gauge his reaction but his face remains stoic. “Oliver… Thea isn’t your sister. She’s your  _half_ _-_ sister.”

He remains silent for a few moments before shifting, leaning his elbows on his knees and rubbing his hands over his face. “So you’re telling me that Robert is my father, but not Thea’s.”

“Yes,” she answers softly, rubbing a hand up and down his back.

“So who is?” he manages, tilting his head to look at her.

Felicity doesn’t answer right away, debating whether or not to divulge that tidbit of information before deciding that she doesn’t want any lies between them. She sighs, “Malcolm Merlyn.”

They sit in silence for a few minutes, Oliver staring at an invisible spot on the ground while she rubs soothing circles across his back. Suddenly, he stands, making his way towards the kitchen and slipping on his shoes. Felicity shoots to her feet, following closely behind him. “Oliver, what are you doing?”

He sends her a look, silently telling her to just leave him alone, and grabs his car keys.

“Oliver!” she yells at his retreating form, still following him down the hallway. “Don’t leave, you always do this! Just talk to me!”

He pulls on a jacket, “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“She said this would happen,” Felicity admits, eyes starting to water with unshed tears.

Oliver stops at her words, slowly turning around to face her. “That what would happen?”

“She said that if I told you, you would never forgive me. And I was so sure that she was wrong.”

He silently stares at her for a few moments, his expression softening, “I’ll be back.”

A tear trails down Felicity’s cheek and she brushes it away quickly, watching as he opens the door to the garage. The door closes louder than normal and she winces, holding her breath with closed eyes. After a second, she thinks she might be safe until she hears her son’s loud cries, groaning as she heads upstairs.

 

* * *

 

Opening the door to the mansion, Oliver walks right towards the living room where he spots his mother standing in front of the windows, a glass of what is probably whiskey in her hand. He stays calm as he approaches her, trying not to let his anger control him. “Mother,” he greets, his voice flat and face stoic.

Hearing his words, Moira turns to him halfway, downing the rest of her drink in one sip before placing the empty glass on an end table and spinning to face him completely. “Oliver. I wasn’t expecting you,” she smiles softly at him.

“You should’ve been, considering what Felicity found out about you,” he responds, his voice getting deeper as his anger builds, the feeling only increasing at the small look of surprise on her face, almost like she actually thought that Felicity wouldn’t tell him. “She told me everything.”

“Sweetheart, I can explain,” she takes a step towards him with an outstretched hand.

Oliver steps back, trying and failing not to yell. “How could you lie about something like this?! I know you’ve done some questionable things in the past, but this? When dad was alive, I gave him so much shit about the women I knew he was cheating on you with! I defended you to him when he tried to blame you and the whole time, you were no better than him!”

She shakes her head, eyes desperately searching his face, “It was not like that, Oliver. It was only once; a small moment of weakness when your father was on a business trip with his latest mistress.”

“Y’know, cheating on dad isn’t even the worst part. No, the worst part is that you’ve been lying to me, to  _Thea,_ for nearly seventeen years! What about Tommy, huh? You don’t think they deserve to know the truth?”

“The truth would crush her and you know it. She is already fragile and has been doing good with her drug problem. She was so young when Robert died, she doesn’t have many solid memories of him and this would ruin the ones she does have! You’d never forgive yourself if you tell her and she goes back to a life of drinking and almost dying in car crashes!

“You’re right, I would never forgive myself. But Thea is stronger than that, and I know it;  _she_ knows it. And she deserves the truth.” Oliver turns around to leave but stops in the doorway, turning around with a cold expression, “As far as I’m concerned, you and I are finished.”

Moira’s eyes widen, sparkling with unshed tears as she reaches out to him again, “You no longer want me in your life because I’ve been protecting my family for the last seventeen years?”

"No,” he shakes his head, “I no longer want you in my life because you threatened my _wife._ The woman I love, the woman who has been like a daughter to you for most her life. You were wrong because I do forgive her, even though she didn’t do anything wrong. All she did was tell the truth, something that you don’t understand how to do. Which is why I will never forgive  _you.”_ Oliver turns his back to her, making his way out of the house and towards his car so he can drive home to his family.

 

* * *

 

Heading up the stairs, Oliver notices the faint light coming through the half-open door of the nursery and moves towards it, pushing the door open a little bit more. He leans against the door in the same way he did when he got home from work, his eyes landing on his wife moving back and forth softly in the rocking chair with Robbie cradled in her arms. The infant is sound asleep, Felicity gazing down at his chubby little face with a faint smile. After a few seconds, she feels his eyes on her and raises her chin, the smile falling from her face. She glances down at their son again before slowly standing up, walking over to his crib and carefully lowering him into it, praying that he doesn’t wake up. Robbie turns his cheek into the soft sheets of his small mattress and lets out a contented noise, still sound asleep. Felicity rubs a curled finger over his cheek, whispering an ‘I love you” before backing away from him and turning to leave the room.

Reaching the doorway, she places a palm on Oliver’s chest and pushes him back into the hallway, silently closing the door until it clicks shut. Finally, she looks up at her husband and opens her mouth to speak, but he beats her to it.

“I’m sorry for leaving like that,” he apologizes, casting his eyes downwards in shame.

Felicity steps closer to him, placing a palm to his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “It’s okay. Where did you go?”

“To see my mother. We needed to talk,” he says darkly, a sadness in his eyes that is nearly outweighed by anger.

She tilts her head with a sigh, “Oliver, I’m so sorry. I --”

“-- This isn’t your fault,” he interrupts with a shake of his head. “I’m not mad at you. In fact, you told me the truth, and I love you all the more for it.”

Felicity matches his soft smile, rubbing her thumb over his cheekbone. “What did she say?”

He sighs, placing his hand over hers and tugging it down, entangling their fingers together, “What I expected. That she lied to protect us, to protect Thea. And she wants me to keep lying to her, but I can’t. I can’t do that to her after everything she’s been through. Or Tommy, for that matter. He’s just as much her brother as I am and he deserves to know that.”

She lets out a small huffed laugh, “That’s exactly what I told her.”

“Let’s just, let’s not talk about her anymore, okay?” Oliver shakes his head and smiles back down at her. “I’m exhausted and I’d really like to go to bed with the woman I love.”

She hums in agreement, “She would like that very much.”

He smiles and leans down to capture her lips in a kiss, banding his arms around her waist. Felicity kisses him back, opening her mouth to his and threading her fingers through the ends of his hair. Suddenly, he lowers his arms, hands gripping under her butt and lifting her into the air. She lets out a little shriek before covering her mouth, trying to conceal her laughter as to not wake Robbie. Oliver chuckles as he moves towards their bedroom, her lips meeting his again, smiling against his mouth as they fall into bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	5. June 2020

**June 2020**

Felicity steps out of the car, closing the door behind her and moving towards the backseat. She opens the door, eyes landing on her sixteen-month-old son shooting her a toothy grin. Smiling at him, she starts unbuckling Robbie from his seat belt, the sounds of Oliver opening the trunk cutting through the ocean waves. “Hi baby, are you excited for the beach?” she asks Robbie, finally releasing the stubborn buckle securing him in place.

“Yeah,” he nods. “Fishies!” he giggles, pointing to the fish on her beach bag.

Felicity huffs a laugh, pulling his arms out of the straps and lifting him up, “Yeah, there are a lot of fishies in the ocean.” She secures the bag over her shoulder, maneuvering herself out of the way so she can close the door with Robbie on her other hip. She faces forward, taking in the ocean and small beach attached to it. They’d discovered this beach when they were teenagers, Oliver, Tommy, and herself stumbling upon it one summer day. Oliver had just gotten a new car, a convertible obviously, so they had jumped in and just drove. Felicity loved it, the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair, and finding this place was just a happy accident. They’d been there almost every day for the rest of that summer and the following summers, making a deal to never bring anyone else to this beach -- their own little secret spot in Starling City. Today, though, they decided to break that tradition and bring all their friends; this is a spot destined for them to make memories with their family.

“Felicity,” Oliver’s voice pulls her from reminiscing.

“What?” she asks, peering over her shoulder.

He laughs, nodding his head towards the car, “I asked if you can press the button to close the trunk.”

Taking him in, she realizes that he’s carrying the huge cooler they brought. “Oh, right,” she moves, lifting a hand and pushing said button, the trunk beeping as it slowly closes. “Sorry.”

“What were you thinking about?” he asks as they make their way towards the empty beach, the rest of their friends on the way.

“Just all the days we spent here when we were in high school,” she explains, one of Robbie’s chubby hands playing with her necklace. She looks over at Oliver with a smirk, a playful glint in her eyes, “And I was kinda wishing we were alone right down so we could go skinny dipping. Again.”

Oliver halts his steps momentarily before walking with her again, sending her a glare, “You’re mean for making me wish my son wasn’t with us right now.”

She laughs, making Robbie giggle as he stares up at her. She smiles at him, “Isn’t Daddy so silly?”

He nods emphatically, turning his body so he can see Oliver more. He reaches out a hand to touch his cheek, loving the feeling of his father’s scruff. “You’re silly,” he repeats with a giggle causing Oliver to give up and crack a smile.

“Wow. I just realized that you will forever be outnumbered cause this little man is a total mama’s boy,” Felicity teases. She grabs one of Robbie’s hands, shaking it lightly to get his attention, “You’re such a mama’s boy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah!” he nods.

Oliver shakes his head, “Nope. Us men gotta stick together. He’ll say yes to anything, Felicity. Watch,” he sets down the cooler in the sand, moving to stand in front of his wife. “Robbie, you’ll always be on my side, right?”

After taking a few seconds to think it over, Robbie shakes his head exactly like his father, “No!”

Oliver’s face falls, huffing at her smug smile, “Dammit.” He turns to head back to the car for the umbrella they brought, muttering to himself, “Traitor. My own son.”

Overhearing his words, Felicity snickers and lifts a hand in front of Robbie’s face. He smiles a toothy grin before lifting his own hand, high-fiving his mother, not even knowing what is going on. Hearing cars approaching, she turns back to see Tommy’s car followed by Sara’s, both parking next to where Oliver still stands near the trunk. She sets Robbie down on his feet, the boy immediately falling to his butt so he can play with the sand. Rifling through her bag, she starts laying a few towels out and curls her fingers around her sunglasses buried at the bottom of the bag before placing them on her face. Feeling something tugging on her cover up, she glances down to find her son standing at her feet. “What’s up, baby?”

“Fishies!” he yells, pointing at the water.

“I know, hon. You can swim with the fishies as soon as Daddy comes back and I put some sunscreen on you,” she explains as he frowns up at her.

Robbie soon gets distracted by something behind her, a wide smile finding its way onto his face, “Tom Tom!” She looks over her shoulder, eyes landing on her friends all making their way towards her. Tommy smiles, handing over the large bag he is holding to Oliver in preparation for the toddler running towards him. Somehow Robbie gets to him without falling, his uncle scooping him up into his arms and immediately giving him a fist bump, smiling when he makes use of the hours Tommy spent teaching him how to fist bump by connecting his hand to the older man.

“Nice one, little man,” Tommy praises him, making him giggle. He smiles, lifting his eyes to Felicity, “Hey, Lis.”

“Hey,” she greets, hugging him as best she can with the toddler still between them. “Did Thea ever let you know if she was coming or not?” she asks, eyes casting downward as she tries to sound nonchalant. Thea hasn’t spoken to her and Oliver much in the last few months, not even at her high school graduation almost two weeks ago -- the younger girl really knows how to hold a grudge. After her confrontation with Moira and Oliver’s subsequent argument, things had gotten complicated. Felicity was perfectly ready to tell Thea the truth when Moira wouldn’t until the woman had manipulated her, convincing her to wait until after the holidays, which lead to her convincing Oliver to wait. Then it was to wait until after her birthday. Then Moira had tried to convince her not to say anything at all because of Thea’s drug problem, but she refused, deciding to tell her at that very moment.

Unluckily for her, Thea had been passing by her father’s old office in route to the kitchen, stopping when she overheard her name. She wasn’t standing there long, but it was long enough for her to hear the truth about her father. And for her to hear that Oliver and Felicity had known about it for a while. Obviously, she is still angry with them. Shortly after Thea found out, Oliver had taken Tommy to their spot on the roof of QC, telling his best friend that they share a sister. He was mad at first but forgave them easily, knowing how hard of a position they were put in and understanding them wanting to protect Thea. Even before he knew they were biologically related, Tommy has always considered Thea his little sister.

Tommy gazes down at her with sympathetic eyes, “She did. But she’s not coming.”

“She still won’t answer my calls. Can you just tell her that Robbie really misses his Aunt Thea? And so do Oliver and I.”

“Of course,” he nods.

She smiles in thanks and soon the entire gang is finishing setting up their things, the girls laying out towels for themselves to try and get tan. Felicity sits on her knees beside Laurel, both applying sunscreen to Robbie and Savannah, respectively. They then pull out the water wings Laurel bought, sliding them up each toddler’s arm. Felicity takes off Robbie’s mini Starling City Rockets hat, rubbing in the last bit of sunscreen into his chubby cheeks. “All done,” she says with a smile, placing a kiss on his nose which makes him giggle.

“Fishies now?” he asks.

She nods her head, “Yup. Go and swim with Daddy.” She points behind him and he turns around, spotting Oliver waiting with Tommy near the water. Robbie starts running towards him, Felicity yelling at him to slow down so he doesn’t fall. “I swear that kid is gonna give me a heart attack,” she lets out a breath as Oliver scoops him up into his arms.

“Yeah well, I think Savannah might be more cautious than I am,” Laurel chuckles, watching her daughter take her sweet time walking to her dad.

The women laugh, maneuvering themselves so they can lay back on their towels. Felicity leans back on her elbows for a few seconds, a warm smile pulling up the corners of her mouth as she watches her husband and son, laughing and splashing at Tommy and Savannah. She hears someone release a sigh and turns her head slightly to see Nyssa leaning exactly like she is, a longing look on her face as she watches them play. Her expression is gone as soon as it showed up, the brunette shifting to lay on her stomach. Felicity wonders what that was about but decides to push it aside, laying back and letting her skin absorb the warm sunlight.

A while later, Nyssa and Sara are setting up the food to make sandwiches on the folding table they brought, Laurel unloading some of the snacks she packed. Felicity sits on her towel, leaning back on her elbows like earlier as she watches Robbie and Savannah playing together. Savannah is shoveling sand into a little bucket, bringing it back and dumping it on the existing pile beside Robbie. He then takes some of the sand from the pile to add to another pile that he is trying to shape into a sand castle.

Oliver’s voice interrupts the natural silence they all fell into while getting lunch ready, “Hey, where’s Tommy?”

Everyone starts looking around, Tommy nowhere in sight. Felicity turns to the left, her eyes landing on a cluster of rocks that curve around to a small clearing and a little cliff you can jump off into the water. She rises to her feet, picking up her cover up and slipping it on, leaving the sides open. “I’ll find him,” she tells the group, heading towards the rocks and climbing them the way Tommy had showed her so many years ago. After they began dating, they’d sometimes come to the beach without Oliver. One summer day, Tommy convinced her to climb the rocks with him to see what was on the other side, even though she was terrified of falling and dying. He showed her the easiest way to maneuver around the rocks and when they did, they discovered the clearing. Wanting to keep the space to themselves, neither one of them ever told Oliver about it.

Rounding a corner, her eyes land on Tommy sitting on the flatter rocks, legs bent as he hangs his arms over his knees and eyes taking in the clear blue water before him. Felicity takes a step towards him, forgetting about the weeds that grow between some of the rocks as her foot gets tangled in one. She falls forward slightly, bracing a hand on a rock beside her to avoid falling. “Shit,” she lets out in anger at the offensive plant. Tommy turns his head at the noise, smiling slightly as she glares at the weeds.

“You good?” he asks, trying to suppress a laugh.

She huffs before continuing towards him, “I always forget about these damn plants that I swear are out to get me.” Reaching him, she sits down next to him, mimicking his position and bumping their shoulders together lightly. “Everyone’s getting lunch ready. I was sent on a mission to find you.”

“Damn. They send the one person who would be able to find me,” he jokes, an underlying hint of seriousness coloring his tone.

“Did you not want to be found?” He shrugs in response. “Hey,” she bumps against him again to get him to look at her, “What’s goin’ on?”

For a few seconds, he doesn’t say anything, dragging his eyes away from hers and staring back out at the ocean. Breaking the silence, he confesses, “It’s Thea.”

“What about her?” she furrows her brows at his profile. “I thought you guys were spending a lot of time together.”

“We were. We  _are_. It’s just...,” his voice drifts away.

“Just what?”

Tommy releases a sigh, “She wants me to get in contact with my dad.  _Our_ dad, I guess. She wants to meet him. As his daughter. And…,” he drifts off again.

“And you don’t want her to,” she concludes for him.

“All my life, I’ve considered Ollie a brother. And finding out we share a sister is awesome. But when my mom died, Malcolm _left._ He was never there for me, not the way you were or the way the Queens were. The way  _Robert_ was. And now Thea has been questioning everything about herself when she shouldn’t, because Robert Queen? He was her father. And he was mine too. And I don’t want her to lose that.” Felicity reaches out a hand to grasp one of his and he finally meets her eyes again, his own slightly glossier than before, “Malcolm isn’t a good man, Lis. He’s controlling and manipulative and violent and… He doesn’t deserve to know her. And he doesn’t deserve her love. And I don’t know what to do.”

“Tommy,” Felicity starts, “I understand what you’re saying, I really do. But take it from me, you should let Thea decide how she wants to handle this. She isn’t stupid by any means and she’ll be skeptical of him if you just be honest about your concerns. But she should be the one to decide whether or not he deserves to have her in his life. You’re her brother just as much as Oliver is and that isn’t going to change, no matter what, okay?”

Tommy nods his head with a small smile, “You’re smarter than all of us, you know that?”

She shrugs, trying to hide her grin, “Yeah, well.” Tommy’s laughter makes her break, laughing along with him before pulling him into a tight hug, rubbing her hand across his clothed back before pulling away. She stands up, reaching out a hand and lifting him up as well, “Now c’mon. I’m starving and my stomach is starting to make weird noises.”

“That was your stomach? I just thought there was a dog being tortured nearby,” he teases.

Felicity pushes him in front of her a little, and follows him down the rocks, “Ha ha. You’re so funny.” He just laughs and when they reach the sand again, he wraps an arm around her shoulder and tugs her against his side, placing a kiss to her forehead as they head back to their families.

 

* * *

 

After lunch, they play a game of touch football, the boys and Sara against the remaining women. Felicity is horrible, as she is with most sports that require any sense of coordination, but like Tommy had said, she is the smartest out of all of them. They are tied and beginning the last play. Oliver, acting as the quarterback, catches the ball and backs up, searching for Tommy or Sara so he can finish up this game. Laurel and Nyssa are blocking each other’s spouses while Felicity runs to guard Oliver. She steps closer to him and lays a hand on his chest, smiling and batting her eyelashes up at him. “Give me that ball and I’ll make it worth your while,” she promises and he caves, lowering the ball from where he has it lifted above his head into reaching distance and she grabs it, running around him and scoring the winning touchdown. Laurel and Nyssa cheer while Tommy and Sara glare at Oliver. He shrugs, “You would’ve done it too.” Needing to cool off after that, they all head into the ocean to enjoy the crisp seawater.

After some time spent swimming, they all start packing up their stuff as the sun begins to set, casting an orange glow across the sky. Nyssa and Sara left about five minutes earlier having already packed away what they brought and needing rest after such a long day. Oliver and Tommy go to their respective cars, loading coolers and umbrellas and tables into their trunks. Still in the sand, Felicity holds Robbie in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder. Savannah sits in front of her, playing with the sand as she apparently isn’t as tired as the others.

“Where’s Savannah?” Laurel asks, walking towards where the men are standing, her view obstructed by the cars.

“I’ll get her,” Tommy decides, heading out towards Felicity.

Oliver stares ahead at his wife and best friend, his arms crossed against his chest. He smiles softly, directing his next words to Laurel while still looking straight ahead, “Back in high school, right before senior year started… Did you ever think that this is how our lives would turn out?”

Laurel chuckles, “Not at all. If I’m being totally honest, I thought that you and I would be married someday.”

He tilts his head to find her already looking at him and raises a brow, a half-smile still on his face, “Even though I was a huge commitment-phobe back then, a part of me always thought that us ending up together was just the way it had to be.”

Nodding her head slowly, she gazes back out to where Felicity laughs at Tommy as he runs around in circles with Savannah trying to catch him. “I’m so glad I was wrong.”

Oliver barks out a laugh but nods his head, smiling down at his friend. “As much as I love you Dinah Laurel Lance, I’m glad you were wrong too.” He pulls her into a hug, Tommy and Felicity making their way towards them when they pull apart.

Laurel snickers at her daughter completely lax in her father’s arms, “Finally tired her out?”

“Yup. She may look like you, but she’s hyperactive like me,” Tommy jokes before they bid their goodbyes and head to their car, putting Savannah in her car seat and then getting in the driver’s side.

Oliver watches them leave before he turns back to Felicity, “Ready to get out of here?”

“Definitely,” she answers before shifting her hold on Robbie to open the door and buckle him into his car seat, his eyes fluttering slightly before he sighs. It’s not too long of a drive before they get home, pulling into the driveway and shutting off the car. Felicity unbuckles her seatbelt and peers over her shoulder, noticing Robbie is still fast asleep. She doesn’t know what his deal is but lately he hasn’t been sleeping well, crying when it is bedtime and then waking up, crying in the middle of the night after finally getting him back to bed. “I’m afraid to move him,” she whispers and looks back to Oliver, “He’s actually asleep.”

Oliver unbuckles and twists in his seat, contemplating what they should do, “Maybe we should just let him sleep.”

“Oliver, we are not leaving our baby in the car all night,” she whispers sternly.

He laughs softly, “I meant we should just sit in the car for a while.”

“Oh,” she pouts. “I knew that.” Looking back at Robbie, she smiles at the sound of his soft snores before noticing Oliver shifting his seat farther back. Felicity raises a brow at him, “What are you doing?”

“Well, you did promise to make it worth my while, right?” he smirks at her, the grin growing even larger at the blush that colors her cheeks.

She frantically looks between her son and her husband, “We are not having sex with our son asleep in the backseat!”

“Oh c’mon,” he teases. “Live a little.” At the look on her face he concedes, leaning towards her. “Fine. But I at least get a kiss.” Thinking it over for a few seconds, Felicity pouts but gives in, leaning forward to place a kiss to his lips. When she tries to pull away, he brings a palm to her cheek and deepens the kiss, licking his tongue across the seam of her lips. She relents, opening her mouth to him as the hand placed on her cheek travels down to her waist. One minute they’re kissing and the next minute his hands grip her waist, deftly lifting her across the middle console and into his lap, her knees bracketing his hips.

Felicity squeals but quickly brings a hand to cover her mouth, not wanting to wake Robbie. She pulls away slightly, trying to be mad at him but failing when she sees the smile on his face. Releasing a huffed laugh, she lifts a hand to his cheek like he’d done to her, her thumb tracing over his bottom lip. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously happy,” he adds. “Today was a good day.”

“Yeah, it was.” she leans forward, connecting their foreheads and closing her eyes. “I love you. And I love our son and I love our friends and… I love this life.  _Our_ life. It’s everything I ever dreamed about,” Felicity admits, her whisper barely cutting through the silence surrounding them.

 _“ _You’re__  everything I ever dreamed about,” he whispers back, thumb brushing across the skin of her waist underneath her t-shirt.  Oliver places another soft kiss to her lips before she leans her head on his shoulder, falling asleep with the peaceful night surrounding them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	6. May 2022

**May 2022**

Walking down the stairs, Felicity makes her way towards the kitchen where Oliver stands at the sink, Robbie sitting on the floor watching cartoons. She wraps her arms around Oliver's waist from behind, resting her cheek between his shoulder blades as he finishes washing the dishes they used for breakfast. He shuts off the faucet, drying his hands with a towel before turning in her embrace so they’re face to face. He grins down at her, “You feeling okay?”

She nods her head, “Yeah. I don’t think the nausea will be as bad as the first time.” About a week ago, Felicity told Oliver that she is pregnant with their second child. She is already close to twelve weeks, according to their doctor, and so far, the morning sickness has been better than it was with Robbie.

“That’s great. You heading out?” Oliver asks, noticing that she is dressed in actual clothes rather than the pajamas they all stay in every Sunday.

“Yeah,” she confirms, stepping out of his arms and towards the fridge, opening it and grabbing a bottle of water. “I’m going to hang out with Sara. I know we were gonna wait to tell everyone, but you remember how horrible it went the first time. I want Sara to be the first to know. You don’t mind, right?”

He shakes his head and offers a smile as he leans back against the counter, arms folded across his chest, “No, that’s fine.”

Felicity steps towards him, leaning up and giving him a chaste kiss. “I don’t know when I’ll be home, so enjoy your day with Robbie.” He laughs as she sends him a smile over her shoulder and heads out to the living room. Silently, she creeps up behind Robbie, bending down and grabbing him around the waist. She tilts him sideways, kissing him all over his face as he laughs uncontrollably.

“Mama! Stop!” he giggles but she keeps kissing him, her fingers tickling his stomach.

Finally, she stops tickling him, moving him around until she holds him in the position she normally does. “Mama is gonna go see Auntie Sara, okay?”

His eyes light up at the mention of his aunt, “I wanna go!”

“Sorry baby but I need to go alone.” Immediately he frowns at her, head sagging to look down. Felicity bounces him a little on her hip so that he looks back up at her, “But you’ll get to spend the whole entire day with Daddy. How does that sound? Good?” The smile returns to Robbie’s face and he nods his head quickly. She grins, “Okay, I have to leave, so give Mama a kiss.” He lifts both of his small hands and brings them up to her cheeks, leaning forward and giving her a big kiss on the mouth. Laughing at the way he kisses everyone, she places a kiss of her own on one of his cheeks, exaggerating with a loud  _‘mwah!’_ before setting him back down on the ground. Robbie runs back towards the tv, settling down in the exact same spot he sat in earlier.

Felicity chuckles at her son, grabbing her bag and moving towards the door to the garage. She gets in her car, backing out of the driveway and heading towards Sara and Nyssa’s townhouse. The car ride is barely twenty minutes and she parks her car next to the sidewalk, walking the short distance to the few stairs leading to the front door. She lifts a hand, knocking a few times before the door opens. “Hey,” Felicity greets with a smile as she pulls Sara into a hug, not noticing how forced the other blonde’s smile is.

“Hi,” Sara responds as they walk further inside, closing the door behind them.

Felicity looks around the room as she sets her purse down on an armchair, “Is Nyssa here?”

“Uh, no,” she shakes her head, “She went into the gym to meet with the contractor about a possible expansion.” She nods as Sara sits down on the couch before doing the same. “So,” Sara starts, “Why’d you want to hang out?”

“Can’t a girl just want to hang out with her best friend?” Sara raises a doubtful eyebrow and Felicity gives in, “Fine. I have some news I wanted to tell you.”

“Okay. What’s up?”

Felicity takes a deep breath, a wide smile slowly pulling up the corners of her mouth, “Oliver and I are having another baby.”

Silently, Sara blinks at her friend, digesting the new information. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yeah,” she nods her head, smile still on her face. All the sudden, tears spring to Sara’s eyes and she starts crying and not tears of joy. Her smile falls as her friend buries her face in her hands, and she scoots closer to her, rubbing a hand in circles on her back. “Sara,” she starts, not knowing what was going on or what to do.

Sara lifts her head after taking a few breaths to calm herself down, glancing at the other blonde, “I’m sorry.”

“Sara, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

She shakes her head, more tears collecting in her eyes. “Felicity, I can’t have kids.”

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise before furrowing in confusion, “What? How do you know?”

“Nyssa and I decided that we want kids, so we went to a sperm bank and found a donor that we could both use, that way we’d each be biologically related to a kid and they can be actual siblings,” Sara explains, her voice cracking with emotion, and Felicity moves even closer to her. Taking a deep breath, she continues, “A few days ago, we went to the doctor that would do the procedures, just for an overall checkup, and… And she told me that I physically can’t get pregnant.” She barely finishes her last sentence before choking out a sob, crying into her hands again.

Her own eyes start to water for her friend, and she wraps her arm around Sara’s shoulders, tugging her into a hug as close as she can. “Sara, I’m so sorry,” she consoles, whispering  _‘it’s okay’_ over and over again. After a while, her breathing slows and her tears subside.

They pull apart and Sara wipes under her eyes, looking at her lap with a small laugh, “Sorry I freaked out.”

She shakes her head, “Sara, you don’t have to apologize for showing emotions. I know that you pride yourself on being an independent, badass chick. But you don’t have to be the tough one all the time.”

“Y’know, I never pictured myself as a mom. But when Nyssa brought it up, I was warming up to the idea and… And now that I know I can’t have it, I want it more than anything,” she admits with a shake of her head.

“That’s not true. This doesn’t mean you can never be a mom. Nyssa could still go through with it; you guys can adopt. There’s so many children out there who need a home and a loving family. And they would be lucky to end up with you and Nyssa.”

“Thanks Felicity. You always know what to say,” she smiles weakly at her friend. She comes to a realization and frowns, “Wow, I am so sorry that I ruined your news. God, I’m a terrible friend.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I am! Felicity, I am so happy for you guys. You know how much I love Robbie, I’m excited to meet my new niece or nephew.”

“Well, they won’t really be your niece or nephew,” Felicity casts her eyes downwards.

Sara furrows her brows in confusion and hurt, “What?”

The other blonde looks back up, a slow smile stretching across her face, “They won’t be your niece or nephew because Oliver and I want you to be their godmother.”

Tears cloud her eyes again and Felicity begins to frown, but she shakes her head, “No, no. These are happy tears.”

The girls smile at each other before Sara pulls her into a hug, “I'm so happy. But I do have to ask, why me and not Tommy and Laurel?”

“Tommy and Laurel already get Robbie if we die, they don't need another one.”

Sara burst out laughing, shaking her head at her friend.

She grins at her and squeezes her hand, “There's the Sara I know. No more of this crying business, okay? You guys will figure it out. I know it.”

She pulls her into another tight hug, only lasting a few seconds before she pulls away, her hands on Felicity's shoulders. “Wait, if it's not Laurel and Tommy, then who's gonna be the godfather?”

“No one. This baby won't need one when they'll have the two best godmothers ever.” Picking up on the hint about her and Nyssa, Sara smiles and squeezes her hand. Felicity stands up and claps her hands together, “C’mon. We're going to lunch.”

 

* * *

 

Walking into the house, Felicity calls out, “I'm home!” After lunch, she and Sara had just sat there, talking for hours until a waiter had politely told them that it was closing time. Felicity leans down to take off her shoes, one hand on the wall for support. She stands up straight, shoes in hand, and moves further into the house that is unusually quiet. “Hello? Oliver?”

Robbie comes running around the corner in his favorite pajamas that have some superhero on them. “Mama!”

“Hi baby,” she smiles down at him as he comes to a stop, hands bracing himself against her legs.

He lifts his chin with wide eyes and a finger held up to his lips, “Shhh!” Felicity furrows her brows in confusion as Robbie grabs one of her hands in his. “Come with me,” he whispers before tugging her through the house. She plays along, trying to hold in laughter as Robbie attempts to tiptoe silently. When they finally stop in the living room, she realizes why he wants her to be quiet. “He's sleeping,” Robbie whispers.

A wide smile forms on her face at the sight of her husband sprawled on the couch fast asleep, one arm draped across his stomach while the other rests underneath his head. “I can see that, buddy. Why is Daddy so tired?” she asks quietly, a hand running through his short blonde hair.

He giggles, “We went swimming and he throwded me a lot!” She tries not to laugh at his adorable mispronunciation when Oliver stirs slightly and Robbie brings his hands to cover his mouth. He whispers again while grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the stairs, “We gots to go. Daddy needs to sleep, he said that I'm too heavy.”

“Did he now,” she moves along with him, still trying not to laugh.

Robbie leads them all the way upstairs, turning towards his bedroom. When he gets through the threshold, he lets go of her hand and runs to his bed, trying extremely hard to climb up onto the ‘big-boy bed’ by himself. Once he finally did it, he crawls to the head of the bed and pulls back the covers, getting himself situated. Felicity smiles at him as she sits on the edge, “Ready, buddy?” He nods his head in excitement and she starts tucking him in the way he likes it, pushing the covers underneath his sides like a burrito. When she finishes, she leans forward and plants a kiss to his forehead. “Good night, sweetie.”

She heads towards the door, lifting a hand to the light switch and peering over her shoulder. “Bye Mama,” Robbie mutters, his voice tired and his eyes falling shut. She blows him a kiss before flicking off the light switch and closing the door behind her.

Felicity walks back downstairs to find Oliver still found asleep in the couch, snoring slightly. She stares at him, thinking about what Sara is going through and thanking God for the family she has. Felicity rubs her hand over her stomach and smiles, bending down and planting a kiss to Oliver’s forehead like she did with their son. She whispers, “Good night, sweetie,” and heads back upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	7. January 2023

**January 2023**

Felicity stands up from the couch, one hand rubbing at her lower back while the other carries her plate from dinner. She leaves Robbie playing on the floor as she heads towards the kitchen, hand sliding around to her front. All day she’s been having sporadic episodes of pain, the irregularity causing her to attribute it to braxton hicks, which she had a month earlier around Christmas. Oliver is out of town in Gotham for two more days, meeting with Bruce Wayne in person to discuss another new project their teams will be collaborating on. Her fingers dig into her stomach, trying to ease the pain as she places her dirty plate in the sink. All of a sudden, she feels a warm gush of fluid run down her legs and pool around her feet. Felicity gasps and glances down, “Oh my god.”

Grabbing some towels, she cleans herself up before laying them across the floor and moving into the living room to grab her phone. Robbie is oblivious to her, focusing on his toy trucks, as she grabs her cell and dials Tommy’s number. He answers after a few rings, _“Hello?”_

She exhales a sigh of relief, “It’s me, I need you to come pick me up. And bring Laurel and Savannah.”

 _“Okay,”_  he says, the simple word almost sounding like a question from the confusion in his tone.  _“Why? Everything okay?”_

“Nope,” she bends over slightly as a wave of unbelievable pain washes over her, and she can’t suppress her yell. Taking a few deep breaths, she tries to talk through the pain, “Because my water just broke and Oliver is out of town, so you need to drive me to the hospital while Laurel watches Robbie.”

 _“Holy shit,”_  he mutters to himself before she can hear him frantically moving, possibly getting dressed.  _“Just hang in there, okay? Breathe through the pain, we’ll be there in five minutes.”_

Felicity nods her head before remembering he can’t see her, mumbling a ‘hurry’ before hanging up. Her yell of pain brought Robbie from his toys and he stands up, running towards her and tugging on her dress. “Mama! Are you okay?”

Taking a deep breath, she forces a smile, running her fingers through his hair, “Yeah, buddy.” The pain finally subsides, and she takes the opportunity to lift him up and stand him on the couch so she’s somewhat level with him. “But guess what! Auntie Laurel and Savannah are gonna come over and play with you while I go to the hospital with Uncle Tommy. And then when I get home, I’ll have your baby sister.”

His eyes widen and he smiles at her, “I wanna go, I wanna go!” Ever since they had told him that he is going to be a big brother, he has been so excited, wanting to be just like his dad and Auntie Thea.

“I’m sorry baby, but you need to stay with Auntie Laurel for a little bit, okay? Just until Daddy gets back, I promise.” She brings a hand to his cheek when he lowers his head in disappointment. “Maybe if you’re extra good, Auntie Laurel will let you and Savannah have ice cream,” she sing-sings the end, knowing it will perk him up. She was right, Robbie’s smile returning to his face.

“Really, Mama?”

Felicity nods and lifts him again, placing his feet on the floor. “Now, you wanna come help Mommy get ready before Uncle Tommy gets here?” Robbie nods his head and takes off towards the stairs, running on all fours as to not fall. She huffs a laugh and follows, breathing through the pain so she can get her to-go bag. Robbie helps her pack a few last-minute things, like a toothbrush and her tablet, all too happy to be helping his mom. It’s only a few minutes later that Tommy lets himself in with the key he has, Laurel and Savannah following close behind.

“Lis, are you okay?” he asks, face contorting in worry as she sits on the couch, leaning back into the cushions with a hand on her stomach.

Breathing through her nose, she grits out through clenched teeth, “Yeah, just peachy.”

Laurel extends a hand, helping her to stand before giving her a quick but loving hug. “Don’t worry about anything, I’ll take care of Robbie. Just go and give birth to my perfect little niece, okay?” She grins as Felicity nods, “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Felicity smiles, tears in her eyes. Turning, she pulls Robbie towards her and he attaches himself, wrapping his tiny arms around her legs. She places a kiss to the top of his head, “I have to go now. Be good for Auntie Laurel, okay baby?”

He nods his head from where it’s settled between her knees before kissing one and backing away to stand by Savannah. He lifts a hand and waves to her, “Bye Mama!”

Tommy picks up Felicity’s bag and puts a hand to her back, leading her out of the house. Looking back over her shoulder, she blows her son a kiss, “Love you.” All three of them yell variations of “I love you too” before the door closes and they head towards Tommy’s car. Once she’s settled in the passenger seat, she pulls out her phone, clicking Oliver’s contact name as another contraction washes over her.

After several rings, Oliver finally picks up,  _“Hey, I was just about to call you.”_

“Oliver,” she starts before being cut off, screwing her eyes shut as Tommy tries to weave around other cars.

 _“Felicity, is everything okay?”_  he asks, confusion and worry in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m just,” she pauses, breathing in deeply through her nose and releasing it slowly through her mouth. “I’m just in labor.”

The phone goes silent for a few seconds before he speaks,  _“What? Are you serious?”_

“Mmhmm,” she hums, unable to get words out as she keeps trying to breath like she learned in class and from every book she’s ever read about babies.

Ruffling sounds across the line as her husband is clearly freaking out like Tommy had when she called him.  _“I’m gonna get a private jet. I’ll be there in no time, okay? Everything is going to be fine.”_

She fights back tears, eyes still closed tightly, “Please hurry. I can’t do this without you, Oliver.”

_“Felicity, I love you and I’ll be with you soon, okay?”_

“I love you, too,” she smiles softly to herself before hanging up and realizing that they are finally at the hospital.

Nearly four hours later, Felicity is still in labor, the pain getting worse and worse. The door to her hospital room opens and the doctor steps in just as she has another contraction, yelling out in pain. “It’s okay, Lis, just breathe,” Tommy tries to soothe her, hand in hers as she squeezes it with incredible strength.

“I’m trying. Where’s Oliver? He should be here by now!”

Tommy pulls out his phone, “Just hold on for one second, okay? I’ll call him.” He waits until she gives him a quick nod before pulling his hand away and moving towards the windows. He calls his best friend’s cell phone and it goes straight to voicemail, meaning that it’s off. Which means he might still be flying. He hangs up and runs a hand over his face when he hears Felicity scream again, turning around and running to her side.

Dr. Davis rolls backwards from where she is examining Felicity with a slight smile on her face, “Well, it looks like you’re about 10 centimeters dilated.”

Tommy gulps, already knowing what it means but asking anyway, “So what does that mean?”

“It’s time to start pushing,” Dr. Davis stands up, moving to the back of the room where the nurses are readying for the arrival of the baby.

Felicity shakes her head, “No, Oliver isn’t here yet. We need to wait. Just go,” she stutters, trying to think of something they can do, “Just go down there and push her back in!”

The nurses exchange a look with each other, thinking she’s crazy. Squeezing her hand, Tommy grabs her attention, “Lis, they can’t. Oliver will be here soon, but you need to do what the doctors say. He would want you to.” She nods weakly as the doctor sits in front of her again.

Dr. Davis instructs her to push and she does, multiple times, as hard as she can. But nothing happens. Felicity falls back into her pillows, trying to catch her breath and fight through the pain. Dr. Davis seems to be focused on something and doesn’t ask her to push again. Felicity opens her eyes and looks between Tommy and the doctor, “What’s going on? Why isn’t anything happening?”

“Alright, Felicity. It looks like the baby is breech.”

“What?” she cries, unknowingly squeezing Tommy’s hand harder, “Is she okay?”

“She is going to be fine, this just means that you’re going to have to push even harder now.”

“No, no, no,” she shakes her head, tears leaking from her tightly closed eyes. “I can’t, I can’t.”

“Yes, you can,” the older woman encourages.

She shakes her head more vigorously, face scrunching in pain. “No! Oliver’s not here, I need him here. I can’t -- I can’t do this without him, I can’t!”

Dr. Davis sends Tommy a helpless look, needing Felicity to push now before the baby is in distress. Pushing some of her sweaty hair out of her face, he wipes away some of her tears and she opens her eyes to look at him. He squeezes her hand, “Lis, I know that this is hard and that you wish Oliver was here. But you can do this. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you are one of the strongest people I have ever known. And you’re an amazing mother. So I need you to fight, okay? Fight for your baby girl; for my beautiful niece. I’ll be here the whole time. I’m not going anywhere.”

Eyes filled with even more tears, Felicity nods her head and tries to take a deep breath, “Okay.”

“Okay?” he double checks and she nods at him before he signals to the doctor.

Dr. Davis tells Felicity to push harder and harder, the baby almost halfway out, when the door opens. Relaxing again, she looks to the door and smiles weakly, exhaustion rolling over her that is outshone by the pure happiness in her eyes at the sight of her husband. “Oliver,” she breathes out.

Oliver makes his way towards her, Tommy having moved out of his way and towards the windows. He gives her a hard kiss before pulling away, cupping both of her cheeks in his hands and rubbing his thumbs over the tears on her cheekbones. “I’m sorry. There was a problem with the jet, I lost my phone. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be; you’re here,” she smiles up at him before her face contorts in pain.

“Felicity, I need you to push harder,” Dr. Davis demands.

He furrows his brows at her, hand clasped in Felicity’s, “Why? Is something wrong?”

“The baby is breech, which essentially means she’s coming out backwards,” the doctor explains.

Oliver’s face hardens at the thought of something being wrong with his daughter, “Is she going to be okay?”

“Only if she is fully delivered right now,” she answers before turning to address Felicity, nodding her head, “Okay, Felicity. On the count of three, I’m gonna need you to push as hard as you can, okay?”

Felicity sniffles but dips her chin in acknowledgement, squeezing Oliver’s hands as hard as she can and releasing a pained yell. One more push and she’s out, a wailing sound filling the room causing Felicity to relax and release a teary laugh. A nurse hands him a pair of scissors to cut the umbilical cord, and Oliver’s eyes water at the brief glimpse of his daughter before the cord is cut and a nurse takes her to the other side of the room to be cleaned off. A few seconds later, the nurse walks towards them with a tiny pink bundle in her arms, handing her over to Felicity. Taking her in her arms and gazing down, she smiles through her tears and places a kiss to the top of head. “Hi pretty girl,” she whispers.

Oliver’s eyes land on his baby girl and his heart stops, eyes immediately clouding with tears at what he is sure is the most perfect little girl he has ever seen. When Felicity turns her head to him and raises a brow in question, he nods and accepts the baby as she hands her off. He bounces a little, smiling when her little mouth opens in a yawn. A few seconds later, she opens her bright blue eyes up at him, taking his breath away. “Daddy loves you so much,” Oliver whispers, lips against her forehead. She shifts a little and he decides to hand her back to her mother, Felicity happy to have her back in her arms.

Remembering that Tommy is still in the room, Felicity peers around Oliver to the windows. “Tommy,” she grabs his attention away from his phone.

He presses something and then pockets his phone, stepping closer to his best friends with a smile, “I was just texting Laurel. She said she’s gonna swing by with Robbie and Savannah.”

Oliver claps a hand on his shoulder, “Thank you for being here for Felicity.”

Shrugging, Tommy looks between them, “You guys both know I’d do anything for you and your family.”

“We know,” Felicity confirms, shifting her position, “Which is why you’re going to be the first person outside of us to hold her.” His smile grows and he takes a step closer to the bed, watching as Felicity shifts and maneuvers her arms to slip the baby into his, “Tommy, meet Kennedy Rose Queen.”

Lifting a hand, he traces it over Kennedy’s rosy, plump cheek, “Hey there, cutie. You are so lucky to have these two idiots as parents. And not just because it gives you me as an uncle,” he jokes, making his friends laugh. Tommy lifts his head and looks between them, “She’s beautiful, guys. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I couldn’t have gotten as far as I did without you,” Felicity smiles, lifting a hand to his forearm and squeezing gently.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	8. November 2024

**November 2024**

“All set, little bug,” Felicity smiles down at her perfect daughter as she finishes buttoning up her onesie, having just changed her diaper. The baby stares up at her mother with a wide grin, showing her small teeth as she kicks her legs. Her arms move around and she giggles when Felicity makes a silly face down at her. She hears tiny little footsteps against the hardwood floors coming from behind her.

“Mama, I’m ready,” the familiar voice pipes up and she can hear the smile in his voice.

Felicity cranes her neck to look back over her shoulder, a laugh bubbling past her lips as her eyes land on her son, “Come here.” He follows her command and makes his way to stand in front of her. Making sure that Kennedy is secured on her changing table, Felicity bends down on one knee and lifts her hands to Robbie’s collar. She undoes the simple knot he had looped his tie into like the first step of tying his shoes and works on tying it correctly. Moving it around, she makes sure it isn’t too tight before smiling, “There you go, baby. Now you look just like Daddy.”

Robbie’s grin only widens at her words and she stands once again, lifting Kennedy off the table and into her arms as the little girl babbles away. Settling her on her hip, she reaches down and grabs Robbie’s hand with her free one and leads him out of the nursery and down the stairs. They round the corner to find Oliver sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in one hand and his cell phone in the other, his eyes glued to the small screen. The blonde makes a small gasping noise, “Look who’s ready for work today.”

Lifting his eyes from his phone, a smile tugs up the corners of Oliver’s mouth as he takes in his family, excited at the thought of taking his son to work with him today. He finishes off his coffee before standing and depositing his cup into the sink. “No, I think Kennedy is missing her headband.”

Robbie giggles and releases his grip on his mother’s hand, “Not her, Daddy. She’s a baby. Don’t you ‘member? I’m the boss today too!”

Taking a few steps towards his family, Oliver laughs and ruffles the younger boy’s dirty blonde hair. “That’s right, buddy. You ready to go?” He nods quickly in excitement before running off towards the front door.

“Hey!” Felicity calls, “Where’s my hug?”

Robbie turns and runs back over to them, wrapping both arms around Felicity’s waist and pressing his cheek against her stomach. “Bye Mama,” he says before once again heading in the opposite direction.

Both adults laugh at their son’s antics and Oliver places a light kiss to her lips before placing a kiss to Kennedy’s chubby cheek. “See you guys tonight. Love you.” He turns and moves towards where Robbie waits at the front door, grabbing his briefcase from the table on the way.

“Love you guys! Have fun!” Felicity tilts her head down at her daughter and lifts up one of her hands in a wave, “Say ‘Bye Daddy’. ‘Bye Daddy’!” Kennedy babbles as she wiggles her hand, a wide smile on her face as they watch both father and son leave the house.

 

* * *

 

Robbie trails behind Oliver as they exit the executive elevator and walk towards his office, coming across the desk belonging to his secretary, Gretchen. Having heard the elevator ding, the older woman stands waiting for them with a smile directed at the smaller Queen. “Good morning, Mister Queen. You have a very busy day ahead of you, there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Tilting his head to meet his son’s wide-eyed gaze, Oliver shrugs, “She’s not talking to me, buddy. You’re the boss, remember?”

“Right,” he nods his head and looks back at Gretchen.

“Do you need anything, sir?”

Robbie furrows his brows in thought for a few seconds, “Can I have some juice?”

Nodding, she tries to suppress a grin, “Apple or orange?”

He thinks for a couple more moments before deciding, “Apple.” Gretchen smiles and heads off towards the kitchen and Robbie lifts his chin up towards his father again in a silent question of what to do next. Stepping aside, Oliver silently directs him into his office with an extended arm and follows behind the mini version of himself. Standing in front of his desk watching as Robbie settles himself in the oversized leather chair, he can’t help but be brought back to the time he came to work with his own father, thinking of how different that experience had been than this one. He is pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his son’s voice.

“Daddy?”

His eyes settle on him, “Yeah, buddy?”

“I like this job.”

Oliver lets out a laugh as he settles in one of the chairs he has set up across from his desk, “Yeah, me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	9. August 2026

**August 2026**

Pushing the cart down the aisle, Oliver reaches out a hand and grabs a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, placing it into the cart. He turns around and moves towards the opposite shelves, grabbing a box of Felicity’s favorite granola bars before turning back to drop it into the cart. As he sets it down, his eyes land on a box of Cocoa Krispies that he doesn’t remember grabbing. Picking it up, he raises a brow at his daughter, “How did this get into the cart?”

“I don’t know,” Kennedy says with wide, innocent eyes, her legs dangling where she sits in the built-in seat.

“Oh yeah?” he asks.

Kennedy tries and fails to hide her giggles as she swings her legs back and forth, “I think the krispisies wanna come home with us, Daddy.”

Oliver can’t help but chuckle at her pronunciation and he sets the box back into the cart, unable to say no to her big blue eyes. “I think so too.”

The little girl laughs again and holds up her arms, signaling that she wants out of the seat. Reaching forward, Oliver grabs her underneath her arms and lifts her out, settling her against his hip. She leans forward and smacks a big kiss to his cheek, giggling as his stubble tickles her lips. Kennedy wiggles in his arms and he sets her feet on the ground, his daughter immediately running down the aisle, grabbing her favorite crackers and stomping back to throw them into the cart. He laughs and pushes down the lane, following her as she bounces around. They round the corner and he stops in front of the chilled shelves, grabbing a few different kinds of cheese and adding them to the pile of food.

“Daddy, look!” Kennedy exclaims before running the short distance to where she sees her favorite food in the world, string cheese. He doesn’t understand it but for some reason, that girl just can’t get enough.

“Kenn, what did I say about running away from me at a store?” he warns.

She stops where she is and turns to him, “Sorry, Daddy. I just want to eat the string cheese.” He chuckles as he closes the distance between them and when he reaches her, she starts walking again. He stops a few feet back from her so that he can pick out some meats, keeping his eyes on the little girl. Kennedy reaches for the bag but she is too small, her arms not long enough the grab it from the angle she is standing at due to a tall woman standing in her way. Straightening back up, she tugs on the hem of the woman’s shirt, “Excuse me. Can you help me?”

The woman turns slightly and glances down at the little girl with a smile, “Sure, sweetie, what do you need?”

“The string cheese, please,” Kennedy grins and then ducks her chin, giggling, “That rhymes.” The woman laughs and picks up what the blonde pointed to, handing it to her. “Thank you!” she says with a wide smile, her eyes lighting up as she hugs the bag to her chest.

Oliver pushes the cart towards her and starts talking, eyes trained on his phone reading a text from Felicity telling him that she just used up the last of the coffee creamer and that he needs to get some more. “Kenn, c’mon, we have to go get something for Mommy.” Lifting his eyes from his phone, he freezes at the sight of the woman standing in front of him that he hasn’t seen in years.

“Oliver, hi. It’s been awhile,” she says with a smile, slightly taken aback by the surprise of seeing him.

“McKenna,” he greets, not really knowing what else to say.

The air around them falls into an awkward silence before Kennedy breaks it, looking between the two adults, “Daddy, this is my friend. Look! She helped me!” She holds out the food to show him and looks back at McKenna before he has the chance to respond. “My name is Kennedy Rose Queen. What’s your name?”

The older woman laughs lightly, “McKenna Hall.” She shakes Kennedy’s outstretched hand.

“You’re pretty. Are you friends with my daddy?”

“Uh,” she lifts her eyes to Oliver, who is just standing there, silently watching the exchange before shifting her eyes back to Kennedy, “Yeah, we’re old friends.”

“Do you know Mommy?” she asks with furrowed brows before smiling, adoration shining in her eyes as she talks about her mother. “Her name is Felicity Meghan Smoak and she’s the prettiest, bestest mommy ever. She’s not here cause my big brother is sick and she’s taking care of him,” she explains. Kennedy holds out a strand of her hair, “My Auntie Sara says that I look just like her and my mommy cause we all have yellow hair!”

“I do know your mommy, she’s a very nice lady,” McKenna assures. She lifts her chin again and finally, Oliver unfreezes and speaks.

“How have you been?” he asks, eyes moving to where his daughter migrated towards a stand with small stuffed animals before looking back up.

McKenna sighs, “Good, really good actually. I just got engaged.” She gives a half shrug before holding up her left hand, displaying her diamond ring.

“Wow,” he breathes out before sending her a small smile. “That’s amazing. I’m happy for you,” he congratulates genuinely.

“Thank you,” she smiles. Her eyes move to Kennedy a few feet away and she nods her head slightly towards her, “She’s beautiful.”

Oliver grins as he watches his daughter play with a stuffed unicorn in one hand and securely hold on to her precious string cheese in the other. “Yeah, she’s somethin’ else.”

“How’s Felicity?”

Turning back to her, he takes a deep breath and hopes he doesn’t come off as awkward as he feels, “She’s good. Our son Robbie has a pretty nasty cold, so she’s home with him.”

McKenna nods her head and smiles softly, “You have a beautiful family, Oliver. I’m really happy for you, you deserve it. I have to run but tell Felicity I say hi.” She offers him one last smile before turning slightly and waving, “Bye, Kennedy. It was nice meeting you.”

“Bye!” Kennedy waves quickly with a toothy smile before running back to her father. “Daddy, can I have these?”

He grabs the stuffed animals from her outstretched hands, “Both of them?”

“No, silly,” she giggles. “The unicorn is for me and the dragon is for Robbie cause he’s sick and it will make him feel better.”

Oliver’s heart melts at her words and he scoops her up into his arms, pressing a kiss to her cheek, “You’re a good girl, y’know that?”

“Duh! I’m just like Mommy,” she laughs.

Smiling down at her, eyes overflowing with love and happiness, Oliver presses another kiss to her cheek, “Yeah, you are just like your mommy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	10. December 2026

**December 2026**

“Kenn!” Felicity calls out, adjusting the table setting and straightening one of the placemats. When she gets no response, Felicity turns her head to shout over her shoulder, “Kennedy!” A few seconds later, she hears quick but careful steps coming down the staircase and running into the dining room.

“I’m here, I’m here!” Kennedy exclaims, voice slightly out of breath from running all the way down from her bedroom where she was playing. “I was taking care of my baby doll; she’s hungry.”

Felicity smiles to herself as she leans over the table, fixing the flowers, candles, and other festive decorations being used as the centerpieces. Once again, she peers over her shoulder and grins at her daughter, looking adorable in the pink dress she picked out for today. “I know, sweetie. You can go back to your room but first I need some help, and I thought you would be the perfect person to do the job. But I can always just ask Robbie.”

Kennedy’s sparkling blue eyes light up as she takes a step closer to her mother with a wide smile. She quickly nods her head up and down, practically bouncing where she stands, “No, I can do it!”

“Are you sure?”

She nods and holds out her hand, four fingers sticking out, “I’m almost this many, Mama. I can do it.”

“Okay,” Felicity drags out the last syllable, still pretending to doubt her daughter’s skills. Though, how could she ever doubt Kennedy? Let’s be honest, with her brain and Oliver’s athleticism, these kids are lucky as hell. “I need you to go into the kitchen and grab all of the forks and spoons that I put on the counter and bring them back here so we can finish setting the table. Think you can do it?”

Kennedy rolls her eyes at her mother, sighing out a, “Duh!” before scurrying off to the kitchen. Felicity laughs to herself, shaking her head slightly. She really needs to stop letting Thea babysit so often. A few moments later, Kennedy comes walking through the archway slowly, holding all the silverware in her tiny hands with a careful eye on them until she gets closer to the table. The three-year-old, much like her mother, is on the shorter side, so Felicity helps her out, taking the utensils and setting them on the table.

“Thanks, Kenn. You can go back to your room and play until everyone gets here, if you want.”

She shakes her head, blonde hair falling out of her loose ponytail, “I wanna help. If I go on my tippy-toes, I can reach, I promise.”

A smile tugs up the corners of Felicity’s mouth, “I would love your help. Here, set them up just like this.” She grabs a spoon and a fork, setting them neatly on top of the napkin to the right of one of the plates. She watches as Kennedy mimics her motions with another setting and smirks when she does it perfectly. Picking her up quickly, Felicity places a big kiss on the little girl’s cheek causing her to giggle and squirm in her mother’s arms before she is placed back on her feet. “Alright, keep going cause Mama’s gotta go get ready.” She watches as Kennedy keeps setting the table, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration as she stands up on her tip-toes. Felicity walks through the kitchen, taking a quick look at the food Oliver has been cooking to make sure nothing is burning before heading upstairs.

When she gets to the top of the stairs, she steps on something and winces. Picking up the toy car that poked into her foot, she marches over to her son’s room. Knocking lightly before opening the door, she finds him sitting on the floor playing with his superhero action figures. Kennedy always calls them dolls and he gets really angry, saying that dolls are for girls. “Robbie, how many times have I told you to keep your toys in your room?”

Looking up at his mother, he puts down the figures in his hands, which happen to be Green Arrow and the Flash, and stands up. He shrugs at her sheepishly as he takes the toy car from her outstretched hand. “Sorry, Mom.”

Felicity runs her fingers through his hair, messing up his dirty blonde locks that have gotten darker over the years, probably because of her natural color. “It’s okay, bud. Get dressed and brush your teeth, people are gonna be here soon.” The seven-year-old nods his head and moves towards his closet, Felicity closing his door behind her and heading down the hall to her own bedroom.

She lets out a sigh as she sits on the edge of the bed, closing her eyes and bringing a hand up to rub at a crook in her neck. She’s been working all morning to get the house ready for Christmas dinner; even though she’s Jewish, they want the kids to be able to celebrate both, and they always offer to host Christmas dinner for their friends and family. Though with Oliver’s cooking, their friends don’t need to think twice about saying yes. After a few moments of sitting in silence, Felicity feels a pair of strong hands touch her shoulders from behind, fingers slowly digging into her tense muscles causing her to release a contented sigh. She lets out a little moan as her husband’s talented fingers dig even more into her neck, and he places a kiss to the underside of her jaw. “That feels good.”

“Yeah?” he asks against her skin, his scruff tickling her the way she loves.

She lets out another sigh, “Yeah.”

After a few minutes of him massaging her shoulders, Felicity straightens her head from where it lolled to the side and opens her eyes, shifting herself on the bed so she can see Oliver. She smiles as she notices he is only wearing boxers and lifts a hand to his cheek, “Thank you.” Leaning in towards him, she runs her fingers through his scruff, “You’re my favorite husband.”

He crinkles his brows as she pecks him on the lips, backing up slightly when she goes in to kiss him again. “Favorite?”

“Mmhmm,” she nods, “Sergio is a close second, but that’s only because he has a bigger --” She’s interrupted by Oliver wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her to him before rolling them so she lays beneath him on the bed. She giggles, moving her hands up the naked skin of his extremely muscular back until reaching the back of his neck, fingers moving through the short strands of his hair. “I was gonna say hot tub.”

“Mmm, I’m sure,” he brushes their noses together before attaching their lips in a passionate kiss. Felicity feels his tongue run along the seam of her lips and she parts them, opening her mouth to him. She bends her knees slightly, rubbing her feet slowly up and down the back of his calves as she kisses him back just as deeply.

Moving his hands down her body, Oliver’s fingers dip underneath her tank top, brushing along the smooth skin of her stomach before moving under the band of her shorts. Just as they’re about to dip into her panties, they hear a loud crashing sound from downstairs followed by Kennedy’s voice as she yells, “Daddy!”

Oliver detaches their lips with a groan, dropping his head to her shoulder when he hears his daughter yell. He can tell from the sound of her voice that she isn’t hurt and she probably just knocked over or dropped something. “This isn’t over,” he nearly growls, placing another kiss to her lips before making his way out of the bed. Grabbing a pair of jeans on his way to the door, he slips them on as quickly as he can without falling and heads down the stairs. Felicity releases a breathless laugh, trying to calm herself down after that impromptu make-out session. Standing, she sheds her clothes and hops into the shower, now finding herself counting down the hours until their guests will leave tonight so that Oliver can finish what he started.

 

* * *

 

Slipping on her other heel, Felicity hears the doorbell ring followed by her daughter’s voice. “I’ll get it!” Kennedy yells, her short legs carrying her towards the door.

She takes a few steps towards the little girl to stop her when Oliver reaches her first, coming around the corner and lifting her off the ground. She settles against his hip and he raises a brow at her, “What did Mommy and Daddy say about opening the front door?”

Kennedy bows her head, her voice quiet, “Don’t open the door without a grown-up. Sorry Daddy.” Oliver places a kiss to her forehead so she knows he isn’t mad, his scruff making her giggle. “Daddy, that tickles!” He smiles as he reaches his free hand forward and pulls open the door revealing Tommy, Laurel and Savannah.

“Hey, man,” Tommy greets with a grin before looking to Kennedy with suspicious eyes. “And who is this little munchkin? She can’t possibly my niece, she is way too old.”

Kennedy giggles, “Uncle Tommy, it’s me! I’m almost this many!” she exclaims, holding out four fingers like she did earlier.

Tommy steps through the threshold of the house, taking Kennedy from Oliver’s arms and tickling her into the living room. Laurel and Savannah follow Tommy through the doorway, Laurel giving Oliver a one-armed hug before heading towards Felicity with the pie she brought for dessert. Looking up at Oliver with a wide smile showing her recently missing tooth, Savannah speaks happily, “Hi Uncle Ollie.”

“Hey, Sav. I see you finally lost that wiggly tooth. Niiice,” he drags out the last word, holding out his fist. The little girl’s smile grows even wider as she lifts her own hand, bumping their fists together before they both pull back with wiggling fingers while making a  _‘whoosh’_ sound.

Robbie comes walking down the stairs and Savannah immediately makes a beeline for him, both grinning at each other. Oliver shakes his head as he watches them head up to Robbie’s room to play, immediately feeling like he is looking at himself and Felicity when they were their age. Turning around to make his way to where Tommy sits on the couch with Kennedy watching some Christmas movie, the doorbell rings again and he turns right back around to open the door.

“Sup, big bro,” Thea says in greeting, planting a kiss on his cheek before moving around him.

Oliver huffs at his baby sister’s hello before extending a hand, “Nice to see you again, Roy.”

“Yeah, you too. Thanks for having us,” Roy responds, trying to hide his wince at how hard Oliver squeezes his hand, like he does every time they see each other even though he’s been dating Thea for over five years. Finally, Oliver releases his hand and lets him walk past him, closing the door again.

Thea heads over to the couch, bottle of wine in hand, and greets her other brother with a kiss to the cheek before giving Kennedy a tight hug. After letting the little girl go, Thea follows the sound of familiar voices to the kitchen, finding Laurel and Felicity talking as they stand at the island.

“Hey!” Felicity exclaims with a huge smile before wrapping her arms around her sister-in-law.

The younger Queen laughs, hugging her back before she’s released and gives Laurel the same greeting. “Merry Christmas, guys. You both look great. Laurel, I’m really digging those shoes.”

“Yeah?” she asks, looking down at her feet as she turns one ankle to showcase the shoe. “I just got them.”

“Take it from a fashion major, they’re so cute,” Thea gushes before turning her attention back to Felicity. “So, where are my other niece and nephew?”

She huffs a laugh, “Somewhere probably attached at the hip. I’m pretty sure they’re playing up in his room.”

The other girls chuckle at the validity of that statement; those two really are attached at the hip. Thea puts the wine she brought into the fridge before leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs.

 

* * *

 

Felicity hands over the last plate for Oliver to dry and put away, shutting off the water and wiping her hands on the nearest towel. After Sara and Nyssa finally arrived with the 6-month-old twins they’d adopted, Lucas and Alexandria, they all sat down and ate the amazing dinner Oliver had made, Felicity having been banned from the kitchen due to her impressive skill of being able to burn water. She had, however, cleared the table and washed the dishes, insisting on doing it by herself since Oliver had cooked, but he didn’t budge.

Moving towards the island, Felicity leans against it and observes her friends and family sitting in the dining room, eating dessert and laughing. Sara and Nyssa sit next to each other with Luke and Lexi on their laps respectively. Robbie and Savannah are, of course, sitting next to each other, and Kennedy is on her brother’s other side in her booster seat so she can actually reach the table. Everyone is smiling and laughing and having a good time, the sight filling Felicity’s chest with warmth as a small grin tugs up the corners of her mouth. Oliver moves to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Tilting her head to the side, Felicity closes her eyes briefly before lifting her hands to run over his forearms where they are around her stomach, allowing her husband to kiss the underside of her jaw and neck like he had earlier in their bedroom.

“We’re really lucky, aren’t we? We have two amazing kids, and these amazing friends. Not even friends, just… Family. I’m so grateful,” Felicity says softly, rubbing her hands back and forth over his arms.

“I’m grateful for you,” Oliver mutters against the skin of her shoulder.

She laughs lightly before turning her head, tilting up her chin so she can see his face, “Merry Christmas, Oliver.”

He smiles down at his wife, “Happy Hanukkah, Felicity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	11. October 2027

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **trigger warning:** this chapter contains talk of miscarriage

**October 2027**

“Oh, come on!” Oliver yells at the referee, pacing and running a hand through his short hair in an attempt to calm down.

Tommy shakes his head from where he stands next to his best friend, “Seriously? That was ridiculous!” He sighs in irritation, some of the other parents grumbling in anger behind him. The game continues, starting with the penalty kick that the other team just got because Savannah ‘tripped’ the little boy wearing number 13. “It’s only a penalty cause she’s a girl, I’m telling you. These refs are all sexist,” Tommy complains to the other coach. Both Savannah and Robbie ended up being on the same team in their soccer league, so he and Oliver decided to step up and be co-coaches, that way if one of them ever couldn’t make it to a practice or game for some reason, they’d always have back up. Plus, they are both still pretty good and are the only parents on the team who have not only played soccer, but have won a state championship when they were seniors.

“I know buddy, I know,” Oliver can’t help but chuckle at his friend’s justified anger, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Anytime Savannah does anything that can be considered a penalty, Tommy always claims that she is just being targeted because she is a girl, even though half the time it is the right call. His goddaughter is just a very aggressive little girl who loves to win. His eyes focus on the game when he feels his phone buzzing in his pocket and reaches to pull it out. Reading over the unknown number, he furrows his brows but answers anyway, using the other hand to plug his ear as cheering erupts from the parents around him, Robbie having scored a goal. He moves away from the noise, “Hello?”

 _“Hi, is this Oliver Queen?”_ a female voice asks on the other end of the call, and he has to strain his ears to hear her.

He confirms with a nod of his head before remembering the woman can’t see him, “Yes, this is Oliver Queen.”

 _“Mister Queen, I’m calling from Starling General Hospital. We have you listed as the emergency contact for,”_ the woman pauses as she presumably reads over the paperwork in front of her,  _“Felicity and Kennedy Queen. Is that correct?”_

As soon as he hears their names, Oliver’s heart stops and his blood runs cold. Everything around him fades away, Tommy’s voice yelling at him to hurry up and get off the phone barely reaching his ears. Something happened to Felicity and Kennedy. They’re in the  _hospital._ He realizes that he must not have said anything in a while because the woman, most likely a nurse, repeats his name. He clears his throat, “Yeah. Yes, that’s correct. What happened? Are they okay?”

_“They were in an accident. You should come to the hospital right away.”_

He barely listens to the rest of what she says before hanging up and moving over to Tommy, handing over his clipboard. “Hey, I have to go. Something happened, Felicity and Kennedy are in the hospital, I --” his voice fades off, not even able to breathe at the thought of anything happening to his girls.

Tommy furrows his brows in concern but nods his head, “Yeah, man. Go. I’ll take Robbie, just go. Call me when you know anything.”

Oliver nods silently, not even able to comprehend words to say before he turns around and jogs to his car.

 

* * *

 

Felicity chuckles as she looks in the mirror at her four-and-a-half-year-old dancing in her car seat to whatever song is on the radio. She turns down the volume a few notches, “How was ballet? Did you have fun?”

After just a few weeks of ballet classes, Kennedy already loves it. She has so much fun and made new friends, always talking about them non-stop when they have dinner. She also takes every opportunity she can to show off the moves that she has learned so far. The little girl smiles wide, nodding her head rapidly, “Yeah! Today we learned how to turn around real fast, Mommy. And then me and Emily laughed because we were falling all the time!” She giggles at herself causing Felicity to laugh as well. “Mommy?”

“Hmm?” she hums as she checks her blind spot before switching lanes.

Kennedy tilts her head, furrowing her brows in thought for a few seconds before talking again, “Can the baby come to ballet with me? I want us to dance together! I can teach her!”

A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth and Felicity allows one of her hands to travel down to feel her stomach. It is still relatively flat, but last week she and Oliver decided that they should tell the kids about the pregnancy before she really does start to get bigger. They hadn’t been trying for another baby but when Felicity found out, they were both extremely happy with the news. She is only a few weeks along so they’d only told their closest friends and family, all of them being excited about the new addition. “I don’t know, sweetie. I think the baby should learn how to walk before going to ballet classes.”

“Oh,” Kennedy frowns, looking down at her lap. A crease forms between her brows again, deep in thought, before she raises her chin, “Mommy?”

“Yes?”

“When do babies learn to walk?”

Chuckling, Felicity shakes her head softly and opens her mouth to speak when an intense pain shoots through her, a hand flying to her lower stomach. Her mouth opens with a cry and her brows furrow, tears immediately springing to her eyes as she involuntarily slams on the breaks, simultaneously swerving the car as she leans forward slightly against the wheel. Hearing honks coming from various cars around her, Felicity’s head shoots up and she jerks the wheel in the opposite direction of an oncoming car.

“Mommy!” Kennedy yells in fear, holding her favorite stuffed unicorn to her chest as she instantly starts crying. Another pain radiates through Felicity like she’s being stabbed and she loses control, trying to avoid other cars but is unable to miss the median. Her vision blurs just as the car collides with something and it spins, the last thing she hears before everything goes black being Kennedy’s screams.

 

* * *

 

Jogging through the hospital, Oliver comes to a stop at the nurse’s station on the fourth floor where the woman on the phone had instructed him to go. “Excuse me,” he says, slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. The woman behind the computer looks up at him with a brow raised in question. “My name is Oliver Queen. I got a call about my wife and daughter, Felicity and Kennedy Queen. They were in some kind of accident.”

“Of course, just one moment,” she directs her eyes back to her computer screen, typing and clicking the mouse. “Yes, your wife is in surgery. I can direct you to your daughter and have one of the doctors explain the situation to you.” The woman stands and Oliver follows her mindlessly. Felicity is hurt. She’s in  _surgery. What the hell even happened? What about the baby?_ He is pulled from his thoughts at the sound of his daughter’s voice.

“Daddy!” Kennedy yells as she shuffles out of the hospital bed she sits in, ignoring the nurse by her side’s protests.

Oliver kneels just in time to catch her, holding her in his arms tightly. After a few seconds, he pulls away and brings up both of his hands to frame her face. His eyes scan over her small body for any signs of injury, thumbs wiping away the tear tracks on her cheeks. When all he finds are a few scratches on her arm and a small cut on the side of her forehead, he leans forward and places a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispers into her hair.

“Mister Queen, I’m sorry but I need to finish examining her,” the younger man by the bed interrupts their moment.

He nods and lifts Kennedy into his arms as he stands, the little girl immediately resting her head on his shoulder and gripping his shirt tightly in her fist. When he tries to sit her down, she won’t let go as she sniffles, so he decides that it would be easier to just sit down himself. He settles on the edge and rubs his hand up and down her back as the nurse finishes examining her as best he can. Oliver places another kiss to the top of her head. “Kennedy,” he keeps his lips pressed to her forehead, “What happened?”

Sniffling, the little girl lifts her head to look at him, eyes watering and her bottom lip quivering as she tries to talk. “Me and Mommy were going home from my ballet class and then Mommy screamed. And then the car started going everywhere and Mommy was crying and then there was a big bump and a crashing noise and Mommy wouldn’t talk when I cried. She always talks to me when I cry and makes me feels better but she didn’t move.” Tears race down her cheeks as she tries to breathe, stuttering her words. “There was smoke and then I heard the noises of the policeman and I couldn’t reach my unicorn and Mommy was sleeping and -- and --”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Oliver reassures her as she sobs even harder, hugging her closer against his chest and closing his eyes, images of his little girl crying while her mother lay unconscious flashing through his mind. She tightens her grip on him and rubs her cheek against his shirt while trying to calm her breathing.

“Alright, hon,” the pediatric nurse, David, according to his name tag, smiles down at the little girl. “Looks like you’re all clear. Just a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing that needs stitches.” He directs that last statement to Oliver, who then nods in thanks.

He clears his throat, “The other nurse said that a doctor would be in to talk about my wife.”

“Yes,” David nods, “I’ll send someone in right away.”

“Thank you,” Oliver offers him a grateful smile before he heads out of the room, leaving the two Queens alone. “Did you hear that Kenn? You’re okay. And Mommy is going to be okay too.”

She sniffles again and pulls her head away from him enough to look up at his face, “Daddy, I was so scared. Mommy was asleep and I just wanted my daddy but I couldn’t see you.” Oliver wipes away a falling tear with the pad of his thumb as she sniffles once more. “Then the fireman saved me but I couldn’t get Nemo,” her cries start to intensify again at the thought of her favorite stuffed unicorn (named after her favorite character).

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there, but I’m here now, okay? You’re safe now,” Oliver promises as he tugs her closer again, placing a few more kisses to the top of her head, mindful of the small cut on her forehead that was probably from glass. He tries not to focus on the part where she said Felicity screamed in pain  _before_ the accident, not wanting to accept what that could possibly mean, for both her and their baby.

Kennedy finally starts to calm down after being held and gently rocked for several minutes when the door opens and a man in scrubs enters the room. Noticing that the little girl seems to have fallen asleep, Oliver stands and turns, slowly laying her down on the bed. When he moves to pull away, her grip on his shirt tightens and her eyes flutter open, “Daddy, don’t leave me.”

“I’m not. I’m going to be right over there, okay? I need to talk to the doctor about Mommy and then I’ll be right back,” he promises with one last kiss to her forehead and her eyes close again, her hold on him loosening by the second. Quietly, he removes her hand completely and turns around, walking to stand next to the older man by the door with his arms crossed over his chest. “How is she? What’s going on?”

“I’m Doctor Grant, I performed the surgery on your wife. She’s in the ICU right now, I can take you to her in a few minutes when the nurses have everything settled.”

“The ICU? What happened?”

The man, who is probably in his late-fifties, adjusts his glasses, “Well, according to your daughter, Mrs. Queen experienced pain before the accident. Actually, it is probably what caused the accident. We discovered that there was a complication with her pregnancy.”

Oliver’s face pales as he hears what he feared the most, that something was wrong with their baby. He tries to suck in a steadying breath, “What kind of complication?”

“The fetus was implanted outside of her uterus and somewhere in her abdomen.”  _Was?_ “The placenta leeches off the blood supply wherever it attaches to and when it tears, so does that site. We needed to go in surgically to stop the bleeding. It was more difficult because the placenta was implanted on the vena cava, which is a large vein in the abdomen. We were able to detach the placenta and control the bleeding, which is why she is currently in the ICU. We still need to keep an eye on her, but she’s doing great,” the doctor finishes explaining, a grim look on his face despite the good news about Felicity’s current state.

Keeping his eyes locked on the doctor’s face, Oliver gulps before clearing his throat, “And the baby?”

Before the words are even spoken, Oliver knows the answer to his question just from the sympathetic look in Doctor Grant’s eyes. But the older man speaks anyway, “Mister Queen, this just wasn’t a viable pregnancy from the start. I’m sorry.” Nodding slowly, Oliver casts his eyes downward and rapidly tries to blink the tears away because right now, he can’t break down. He needs to be strong for Kennedy and for Felicity. “Would you like me to call social services? They can send someone to stay with your daughter while you go be with your wife,” he suggests.

Shaking his head, Oliver clears his throat again and lifts his head, “No, that’s okay. I’m going to call her aunt; she lives close by.”

“Alright,” Doctor Grant tries to offer a comforting smile, “I’ll send a nurse as soon as you can go see your wife.”

“Thanks,” he nods in appreciation as the older man leaves the room. Taking a deep breath, he pushes down his emotions for the time being and pulls out his phone.

 

* * *

 

“Hey,” Sara greets a bit breathlessly as she moves through the doorway and pulls Oliver into a hug. “I came as fast as I could. How are they?”

“Well, Kennedy is fine. She finally fell asleep,” he nods his head to the bed behind him where his little girl lays sleeping, still in her ballet outfit that is now dirty and torn in a few places. “Felicity, she’s… I was waiting for you because I didn’t want to leave Kennedy alone. But the doctor said that she’s fine. She had to have surgery and hasn’t woken up yet, but she should make a full recovery.”

Sara raises a brow in surprise, “Surgery? What kind of surgery?” At the pained look in his eyes, she immediately feels tears spring to the surface and shakes her head, “No. The… The baby is okay, right? Felicity and the baby are both okay… Right?” When he doesn’t answer, just continues to look at her with tears in his own eyes, a small gasp escapes her lips as she brings a hand to her mouth, “Oliver…”

“Will you just… Will you stay with her? I need to be there when Felicity wakes up, I need to tell her… I need to…” his words drift off and he takes a deep breath to steady his shaking voice.

A tear leaking down her cheek, Sara immediately pulls him into another tight hug, one hand going to the back of his neck and the other wrapping around his shoulders. For the first time all day, Oliver allows his emotions to take over as he closes his eyes, burying his face in the space between the blonde’s neck and shoulder while hugging her back. After what feels like hours, but in reality is only a few minutes, he pulls away from the hug and ticks up the corners of his mouth slightly in a thankful smile.

“Daddy?” Kennedy’s tired voice interrupts the silence of the room and he turns around, both adults looking at the little girl.

“Hey, sweetie,” he closes the small distance between them and runs his hand over her soft hair, “I’m gonna go spend some time with Mommy, okay? Auntie Sara is here, she’s gonna stay with you. Is that okay?”

She nods her head softly, “Will she cuddle with me like Mommy does?”

“You bet your cute little butt I will,” Sara promises with a smile as she makes her way to the bed, laying down next to her goddaughter. Kennedy immediately turns into her waiting arms, resting her head on the older woman’s stomach while Sara’s fingers begin to run through her hair. She lifts her eyes to meet Oliver’s, “Go. I’ve got her.”

He nods in thanks before turning and making his way out of his daughter’s hospital room and towards his wife’s, a nurse from earlier having told him how to get there while he waited for Sara. After a short elevator ride up to the fifth floor, which contains the ICU, Oliver makes his way through the halls in search of her room number. When he finally finds it, his eyes land on Felicity lying unconscious in her bed, head tilted to the side slightly with one of those oxygen tubes wrapped around her face and ears, pumping air into her nose. Sliding open the windowed door, he blinks away the water in his eyes as he steps inside and pulls a chair from the corner of the room, situating himself in the uncomfortable seat next to her bed. He reaches out and grabs her hand in his, letting out a sigh of relief at the warmth of her skin.

After sitting by her bedside for nearly two hours, he is pulled from the sleep he’d begun to doze off into when Felicity’s fingers start to move where they’re grasped in his hand. His eyes fly open and he straightens his back, focusing his gaze on the features of her face slowly beginning to contort. Her nose crinkles before her eyes flutter open and she furrows her brow in confusion as she takes in her surroundings. Quickly, Oliver stands and takes a few steps so he can poke his head out the door and locate one of the nurses, “Excuse me, I need a doctor.”

Doctor Grant finishes up his exam, moving his light in front of Felicity’s eyes before shutting it off and glancing at Oliver. “She’s neurologically intact, and everything else looks good. We’ll want to keep her for a few days for observation ,but she should be fine.”

Oliver mutters a thanks and the older man sends him a look, silently communicating the fact that Oliver should be the one to tell her about what happened. He gives a slight nod of confirmation before the doctor exits the room, sliding the door shut behind him. Sitting back down in the chair, he grabs her hand, bringing it to his mouth and placing a kiss to her knuckles. “I thought we reached an agreement that you weren’t allowed to scare me like this ever again.”

“Sorry,” she manages with a small smile before it fades just as easily as it had appeared and she draws her brows together again, “What happened?”

“You were in a car accident,” he informs her.

As if putting the pieces of her memory back together, her eyes widen in panic, “Kennedy was with me. Is she --”

“-- She’s perfectly fine,” Oliver is quick to assure and she visibly relaxes at the information. “Sara is with her, and Robbie is spending the night with Tommy and Laurel.”

“Thank god,” she breathes out.

Taking a deep breath, he casts his eyes down towards his lap for a few seconds before raising his eyes to meet hers again. “Felicity… I… I have to tell you something…”

“Don’t,” she mutters with a shake of her head and he notices the tears gathering in her eyes. The look she gives him, it's like somehow she already knows. “Don’t say it.”

“Felicity,” he squeezes her hand, his voice barely louder than a whisper yet like nails on a chalkboard in the near silence of the room, the only other sound being the beeping of the machines hooked up to the blonde. “The baby…,” he clears his throat, “The doctor said that the baby never had a chance. This wasn’t your fault, there was nothing that anyone could’ve done.”

Tears trail rapidly down her cheeks as she turns her head to stare at the ceiling. She closes her eyes as a sob wracks through her body and Oliver stands, leaning forward until he can easily pull Felicity into his embrace, allowing her to cry against his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	12. November 2027

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **trigger warning:** this chapter contains talk of miscarriage and depression

**November 2027**

Oliver is yanked out of his deep sleep by a tiny finger poking into his cheek followed by a familiar voice loudly whispering, "Daddy." After another whisper, his eyes flutter open and land on his little girl's face a mere two inches from his own.

He sighs and allows his tired eyes to sag shut again, "Kennedy, Daddy is tired. Go back to bed." Last night, he had to stay late at the office for a lengthy conference call with their subsidiary in China and after an extremely long day, he had fallen into bed next to an already sleeping Felicity as soon as he was out of his clothes and into a pair of sweatpants.

"I can't," she continues to whisper, rubbing her fingers lazily through his stubble because she loves the prickly feeling. "I woke up to go potty and now I'm hungry. Daddy, it's already light outside."

Blindly reaching his arm behind him to feel for his wife, he only feels cold sheets and forces his eyes to open, "Where's Mommy?"

Kennedy's face immediately falls and her gaze casts down towards the floor, "She is outside and I asked her to make me breakfast but… She told me to go away." She quickly raises her wide eyes back to his face, "I know you're sleepy and I didn't wanna bother you, but my tummy is grumbling and I can't reach my cereal. I tried already, I promise! And Robbie gets mad when I wake him up and --"

His heart breaking at the tears gathering in his daughter's blue orbs, Oliver sits up and places a hand to her cheek to stop her babbling that she gets from her mother, "-- Shh, sweetie, it's okay. C'mon, let's get some food in your little tummy, okay?" He tickles his fingers lightly on her stomach before picking her up and settling her on his hip as he stands, causing her to giggle and rest her head on his naked shoulder. As he heads out of the master and towards the stairs, he spots Felicity standing outside on the balcony, leaning against the banister. Deciding to go talk to her after getting Kennedy settled, he makes his way downstairs and sets Kennedy down on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. Oliver moves towards the cabinet and pulls out a bowl, followed by a spoon and the box of Honey Nut Cheerios - her favorite. He pours a good amount into the bowl before opening the fridge and peering around the corner at the little blonde watching him intently, "What do you want today? Strawberries or bananas?"

Her mouth curls in thought and after a few seconds, she nods with a determined look, "Bananas."

"Okay," he chuckles. Reaching in, he pulls out a banana and the carton of milk and pushes the door closed with his elbow. He opens the fruit and cuts it into slices right on top of the cereal before pouring in the milk and putting everything back where it belongs. Grabbing the bowl, he sticks the spoon in it and plops it down in front of her. "There you go, Kenn."

"Thanks Daddy!" she says with a wide smile, immediately popping a huge spoonful into her mouth.

Thinking of a way to keep her occupied while he goes to talk to Felicity, Oliver reaches across the counter and grabs his wife's tablet. He unlocks it and thumbs through the movies she has downloaded on it before selecting his daughter's favorite. "Here, Kenn. Watch _The Little Mermaid_ while you eat, okay?"

Her spoon halts halfway to her mouth and she stares at him in shock, watching him set up the screen on its kickstand, "Daddy, are you nuts? Mommy is going to use her loud voice!"

Oliver laughs, "It'll be fine, I promise." Shrugging, Kennedy goes back to eating and focusing as the movie starts, and he leans forward to place a kiss to the top of her head before making his way back upstairs. Quickly grabbing a sweatshirt from their room, he slips it on and heads out towards the balcony, silently standing next to where Felicity is leaning forward against the railing while zipping up his hoodie. He mimics her position and tilts his head towards her, his voice quiet, "Hey." She doesn't even acknowledge him as she stares off into the open space of their large backyard, the light wind blowing her loose blonde hair. Oliver sighs.

It's been a little over a month since the accident, and while Felicity hasn't cried in front of him outside of that night in the hospital, something about her just hasn't been the same since they lost the baby. Felicity has been distant and emotional, which the doctor said was normal, but he is beginning to worry. Sometimes she will be restless and unable to fall asleep, while other times she will sleep for almost the entire weekend straight. She'd even taken leave from work, but still insists on having a driver take the kids to and from school every day so she can be alone; all she wants lately is to be alone. Her mood shifts from anger to sadness to dissociation within minutes, and she lashes out at Oliver more often than she ever has, even sometimes at Robbie or Kennedy. All he wants to do is help her, but he isn't sure how.

"You're up early," Oliver tries again, attempting to keep his voice light.

She doesn't turn towards him, only moves to wrap her sweater around her tighter, "Couldn't sleep."

Silence overtakes them again and he thinks over his words carefully. "Kennedy woke me up because she was hungry. She said you told her to go away."

"Yeah, well," her voice is void of emotion and it scares him so damn much. This isn't the Felicity he knows,  _his_  Felicity. "She's a big girl, she can feed herself."

"Felicity, she's four."

She tilts her head towards him, an irritated look on her face and an edge to her tone, "Did you need something? I want to be alone."

Oliver stares at her, searching her eyes for any emotion he can detect other than anger. He tries to think of something to say to make her feel something, anything. "Kennedy was crying, Felicity. She even tried to get her cereal by herself. She could've gotten hurt."

Scoffing, her eyes flash with anger and she stands up straighter, her arms crossed across her chest, "So, what? Now you're saying that I'm a bad mother?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Y'know what, Oliver?" she pushes against his chest to create some distance between them. "If I'm such a terrible mother, why don't you just leave and go be with one of the hundreds of other girls you've been with? Or better yet, I'm sure McKenna would take you back in a heartbeat."

He stares at her in shock at her words, not even knowing how to respond, "Felicity --"

"-- I'm going for a walk," she interrupts before turning on her heels and stomping back inside, disappearing from his view.

Breathing in deeply, Oliver lets out a shaky breath and faces back to overlook the yard, fingers gripping the railing until his knuckles turn white. This person isn't the real Felicity; this isn't how she truly feels. He knows it. But she just won't accept it; anytime he even tries to suggest she talk to someone, she gets angry and insists that she can handle it herself. But Oliver knows that she can't, and honestly, neither can he.

 

* * *

 

**December 2027**

Felicity circles the soapy sponge around the surface of the plate in her other hand absentmindedly, her fingers already beginning to shrivel up from being under the warm water for so long. Her eyes glaze over as she stares out the window at the trees, lost in thought. Ever since she lost the baby, she feels so… empty. And not just in the sense that she went from being pregnant to not pregnant so quickly, but in the sense that a part of her soul has been ripped out of her body. And she knows that that sounds crazy, but it's how she feels, which is why there is no one in her life that she can talk to. No one can understand her emotions and how utterly alone she feels. Oliver has tried to talk to her and deep down, Felicity knows that it isn't fair to him when she snaps, but no matter how hard he tries to understand what she is going through, he just can't. That baby was inside of her, was a part of her.

Rationally, Felicity understands that what happened to their baby wasn't her fault -- the doctor told them that it was inevitable, whether she was driving in the car or sitting on the couch at home. But that doesn't stop the overwhelming guilt from flooding her mind at random times. Sometimes she is so overtaken with sadness that she doesn't want to get out of bed and at other times, she can't sleep without having dreams of their little family, Robbie and Kennedy cooing over their baby brother. The baby wasn't developed enough to have determined a sex but for some reason, she always imagines it as a little boy, with her natural dark brown hair and blue eyes.

The sound of footsteps pulls Felicity from her thoughts and back to reality before a voice fills the otherwise quietness of the house, since Oliver took Kennedy to a birthday party, "Mom?"

She sighs and tries to force herself to look over her shoulder to offer her son a smile, but she can't even manage to do that. So she just stares down into the sink, moving on to clean another plate. "What?"

"Uh," he starts carefully. "I finished all of my homework for Monday, and I finally cleaned my room like Dad's been asking me to."

Moving onto the next dish, she still doesn't raise her head as her eyes zone out, "Okay. What do you want, a medal?"

Robbie stammers, hurt and surprised by his mother's words. "No, I just thought…"

"Ow! Shit!" Felicity shouts in pain, the water in the sink immediately turning red as her hand drips with blood. She hadn't been paying attention to what she was cleaning and accidentally sliced her palm. Quickly, she turns on the faucet and runs her hand underneath it, praying that the gash wasn't deep enough to require stitches; she isn't sure if she could handle going back to that hospital.

At her scream, Robbie's eyes widen and he rushes to her side, "Mom! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she grits out, grabbing a towel to wrap around her hand.

The eight-year-old leans over, trying to get a better look at his mother's injury, "Are you sure? Do you want me to call Dad? I can --"

"-- I said I'm fine!" Felicity interrupts him, eyes screwed shut and she immediately regrets her outburst when she tilts her head and sees the sad look on Robbie's face. Without even saying anything, he sends her a short nod before turning on his heels and almost running from the room.

"Wait, Robbie," she tries but watches as he continues upstairs towards his bedroom. Felicity lets out a frustrated sigh and shuts off the faucet, tightening the towel around her hand that luckily doesn't need stitches. Tears cloud her vision and she takes a few staggering steps back until she collides with the island. Her breathing picks up and she slides down until she hits the ground, the tears falling uncontrollably now. How could she have yelled at her own son like that when he was only trying to help her? Why is she acting like this? She doesn't want to be like this, she doesn't want to be sad or angry or… whatever it is that makes her just _not_ _care._ But now, all she feels is guilt. Guilt for distancing herself from her friends; guilt for not being the best mother she can be for her children; guilt for taking out all her pent out anger on Oliver. Guilt for being unable to do the one thing she was supposed to be able to do: protect her baby.

Felicity wraps her arms around her legs, pulling her knees to her chest and for the first time in nearly two months, she sobs.

 

* * *

 

**January 2028**

"Did you have a good birthday?" Oliver asks his daughter as he tucks her into bed with a small smile, brushing a lock of blonde hair from her forehead. Instead of responding, Kennedy just nods sleepily and he chuckles. "Goodnight, sweetie. I love you," he says before leaning forward and placing a kiss to the top of her head.

The little girl sighs as her eyes flutter shut, "Night Daddy."

Standing from where he is perched on the edge of the bed, he walks towards the door and turns off the light before softly pulling the door shut. He peeks into Robbie's room to him finishing a movie before his bedtime and continues down the stairs of their beach house in Coast City. After everything that's been happening the past few months, Oliver wanted to do something special for Kennedy's fifth birthday and had managed to convince Felicity to spend a weekend up here, the same place the couple came the last time she was going through a bit of a rough time after she was attacked. While she still wasn't her normal self, Felicity really did try to make sure that their daughter had a fun birthday. She had smiled and laughed, but Oliver could see in her eyes that it was forced -- the light just wasn't there.

Picking up a few of Kennedy's new toys off the floor, his eyes spot Felicity's familiar form standing on the beach through the window. He moves to the back door and heads outside, carefully approaching her as to not scare her.

As usual, she senses that he is there without even having to turn around, her arms loosely crossed over her chest to protect herself from the slight breeze. Her voice is quiet when she speaks, "Where are the kids?"

"They're in bed." Oliver stops when he is standing next to her, observing the tail end of the sunset and he is swarmed in memories from the weekends they're spent here over the years. He turns his head, taking in her profile. "You okay?"

Felicity sucks in a sharp breath through her nose and remains silent for a while, thinking over her answer. She can say what her normal response is -- _I'm fine._ Or she can tell the truth. Standing in front of the empty beach, the sound of the waves lightly crashing filling the air brings her a sense of peace and normalcy that she hasn't felt in a long time. She lets out a long breath before speaking, her voice barely above a whisper, "No."

His eyes widen slightly at that, not expecting an honest answer from her but feeling such a sense of relief. "Felicity," he breathes out, taking a small step closer to her.

Tears flood her blue eyes, "I'm not… I'm not okay, Oliver. I'm… I just feel so empty. I'm so sorry, Oliver. I am so sorry. I am so --" her voices cuts off with a choking sound, her throat clogging with emotion.

"Hey," he grabs the tops of her arms and turns her, pulling her against his chest. One hand wraps around her shoulders, the other flying to the back of her head to thread his fingers through her golden locks. "Don't apologize."

Felicity sobs into his chest, body shaking uncontrollably. "It's all my fault."

"No," he pulls away from her, hands flying up to cradle her cheeks and force her to look at him. His thumbs swipe the tears away from under her eyes, "Felicity, this was not your fault. It happened because… Honestly, I don't know why this happened to us, to you. I don't have all the answers, Felicity. But I know that this was not your fault."

She shakes her head, "I've been so horrible to you; to Robbie, to Kennedy. But I just can't… I don't know what to do. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Felicity, I think…," Oliver takes a deep breath and pulls her closer to him. "I think that you might have some form of depression… And I think that we should see a doctor when we get back to Starling."

Almost an entire minute later, she surprises him once again when she stares up at him under watery lashes, "I think you're right."

Sighing in relief that this may be the first step to getting her back to being herself, Oliver hugs her tight against his chest, burying his head in the space between her neck and shoulder. He breathes in her familiar scent, a scent he hadn't been able to smell in so long, and whispers into her ear, "Everything is gonna be alright. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	13. May 2035

**May 3035**

Robbie rounds the giant oak tree to see Savannah sitting with her legs tucked sideways on the thick red blanket he brought, absently gazing at the trees and people around them. He settles next to her, the quiet riffling of the grass under his weight alerting her to his presence. “Here,” Robbie says as he hands over the bag of mini reese’s peanut butter cups to her, knowing it is her favorite candy due to their years of friendship.

Savannah, or better known as Sav by her close friends and family, offers her best friend a smile, grabbing the bag from his outstretched hand and tucking a piece of shoulder length hair behind her ear, “Thanks.” Nodding in acknowledgement with a small smile on his face, Robbie rolls up his sleeves slightly just to pass the time. After a few more seconds of silence, Sav speaks up again, “This is super awkward.” She chuckles, glancing at him sideways, “Why is this so awkward?”

Huffing out a sigh that turns into a laugh, he slowly shakes his head, “I have no idea. I mean, we’ve known each other for our entire lives, we shouldn’t be nervous.”

“But I am nervous,” she admits, biting down on her bottom lip.

Robbie tilts his head to look at her, mesmerized by the glow of her hair under the moonlight as his thumb and two fingers rub together, a nervous tic he inherited from his father. “So am I. Probably because this… Tonight is different. At least, it’s supposed to be,” he tries to reason, referring to the fact that he asked her to hang out last week but as an actual date, a  _date_ date. He can’t help but think of the similarities in this situation to the stories his parents, aunts and uncles have told him. His mom and dad were best friends for years before they took steps towards changing the nature of their relationship, and look at them: still married with two kids and as in love as they always have been. The only difference is that his mom dated Uncle Tommy before getting with his dad, which is weird enough without the extra knowledge that his dad also dated Aunt Laurel before dating his mom. And he isn’t 100% sure, but he thinks that something romantic happened between his dad and Aunt Sara too, just from some things he’s overheard after the years and years of perfecting his eavesdropping skills.

“It is different,” Sav’s soft voice pulls him from his thoughts as she reaches out and grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together, not even paying attention to whatever scary movie is starting to play on the outdoor screen.

He focuses his eyes on where their hands are clasped before tilting his chin, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nods. “At least, I want it to be.”

Without saying anything, Robbie lifts his free hand to her face, tucking a strand of curly hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek. He brushes his thumb across her cheekbone, wiping away an eyelash and slowly closing the distance between them, giving her plenty of time to pull away if that’s what she wants. But she doesn’t pull away, she erases the remaining distance between them and connects their lips in a sweet kiss.

 

* * *

 

“Felicity,” Oliver’s voice cuts through the near silence of their house, zipping up his favorite green hoodie.

“Jesus!” Felicity gasps out, a hand flying to her chest as she jumps slightly, “Oliver!” She smacks a hand across his chest at the stupid grin on his face, “You always do this! God, you’re gonna give me a heart attack one day.”

Shaking his head with a laugh, he raises an eyebrow at her, “Babe, what are you doing?”

“Nothing,” she tries to seem casual but it’s no use; Oliver can always tell when she’s lying.

“Mmhmm,” he hums, “So you’re not standing here, staring out the window as Robbie and Savannah say goodbye before the Merlyn’s driver takes her home?”

She scoffs at her husband, tugging her cardigan close as she crosses her arms over her chest, “No.” She huffs at his raised eyebrow and throws up her hands in defeat, “Fine! You caught me! But it’s his first date, okay? This is what a good mother is supposed to do!”

He laughs before taking a step closer, looking out the window over her shoulder at the young couple standing by the Merlyn’s town car like they have been for the last ten minutes. “Okay, what’d I miss?”

A smile tugs up the corners of Felicity’s mouth and she rotates her body back so she can see the two kids clearly. “Nothing really. They’ve just been standing there, talking and giggling.”

“Ah, this brings me back to the good ol’ days.”

She chuckles, “Oh, yeah? Cause if I remember correctly, we never had an official first date.”

“No?”

“Nope,” she agrees, popping the ‘p’ and raising a brow in challenge.

“Right,” Oliver nods, “Cause if  _I_ remember correctly, the first time, and any time after that, we declared any of our feelings for each other, it ended up in my bedroom with some form of sex.”

She gasps around her smile as she smacks him on the chest again, “Oliver Jonas Queen, are you calling me easy?”

“Yes,” he responds with no hesitation and she hits him again, a spark in her eyes telling him that she isn’t really angry. “Hey, it was good. You should feel flattered.”

Shaking her head, she huffs a laugh before turning serious and squeezing Oliver’s hand, pulling him closer to the window, “Oh my god, look! They’re saying goodbye.” The couple stands halfway behind the curtain, hearts melting as they watch Robbie and Savannah hug before he gives her a soft kiss, only lasting a few seconds before he pulls away and opens the door to her waiting car. He stands with his back to the house, watching until the black car disappears down the driveway. Felicity’s eyebrows shoot up as he turns around and she jumps back, “He’s coming!”

They move further into the living room as not to appear as though they were looking out the window when Oliver catches sight of a tiny blonde at the top of the stairs from the corner of his eyes right before hearing her voice. “What’s going on?” Kennedy asks her parents, rubbing at her eyes telling them that their talking must’ve woken her up.

“Nothing, sweetie, you can go back to bed. It’s just Robbie getting home,” Felicity says as the front door opens and Robbie enters the house, not noticing anyone as he closes and locks the door behind him with a huge smile engraved on his face.

He turns and furrows his brows, “Hey guys. Why are you all still awake?”

“No reason,” Felicity shrugs, trying and failing to seem casual. “We just wanted to make sure you got home safe.”

“Mom, I was with Sav, not a gang.”

Oliver clears his throat, “So, did you have fun?”

“Yup,” he nods, popping the ‘p’ like Felicity does, a giddy smile still on his face.

“What did you guys do?” Felicity asks.

He shrugs, “Nothing, really. We just went to a movie in the park.” He turns a glare to his sister when she giggles and starts making kissy faces and noises at him. “Shut up, Kennedy,” Robbie orders the twelve-year-old, only causing her to laugh more. Her giggles turn into playful screams as Robbie bolts up the stairs, chasing after her.

Felicity laughs and shakes her head at her bickering children before turning into Oliver’s arms, looking up at him with her chin rested on his chest. “God, how is he growing up so fast? Yesterday he was giggling when anyone would blow raspberries on his stomach, and today he went on his first date. That we know of, he is still your son.”

“Hey!” Oliver tries to hide his smile, “I thought we’ve already established that  _you_ are the easy one in this relationship.”

“Mmm, you’re lucky you caught me on a good day or we wouldn’t have ended up in your bedroom, that’s for sure.”

“Mmm, then I guess I’m glad I got lucky,” he smirks and tilts his head, “Pun intended.”

She huffs a laugh and stands up on her tip-toes, being significantly shorter than him with no shoes on, “Play your cards right and you might just get lucky again.”

“Oh yeah?” he grins.

“Yeah,” she whispers through her smile, their lips just brushing each other’s when they hear a crashing sound followed by both of her children calling out ‘sorry mom’ simultaneously. Felicity groans, resting her head on his shoulder.

Oliver chuckles, “Well, like you said. They are my kids.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


	14. *not a chapter but please read*

Hi, everyone! I know that it's been forever and this update not being an actual chapter will probably upset a lot of you, but I felt like I needed to tell you guys what's up.

I've decided to end this series.

From here on out, there will be no more updates to this collection of oneshots, unless I somehow get some burst of inspiration that I want to share with you guys. With my life right now and my other stories, this one just is no longer a priority because I consider it finished. It's okay to be sad, you're not alone! I've been writing this series since May 2015... WOW... _And I'll Love You All the While_ was my first ever venture into writing and I feel like I've grown so much, and thanks to all of you who have followed me through this series and any of my other works. It means a lot. This is by no means an end to my writing, as I currently have two other works-in-progress, but it is an end to this "Oliver and Felicity" journey.

If you guys ever have any questions about this series, the characters and their futures, headcannons, etc. feel free to pop on over to my messaging or inbox on tumblr! I would love to continue talking with you guys and keeping these versions of our favorite characters alive.

Much love and happy holidays to everyone out there, where ever you are and however you celebrate! *infinite hugs and kisses*

<3 Daniella

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at -- emily-betts.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.


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